Close Quarters
by The Minsk
Summary: A/U. Nothing is going to get in the way of Finn's perfect year, not even his quirky new roommate.
1. Big Man on Campus

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Bienvenue and welcome to my new story! It's going to be _very A/U_, and unlike anything I have ever written before. I hope you like it.

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter One: Big Man on Campus**

"Hudson! Hudson! Hudson!" The sound of the chanting crowd was intoxicating as adrenaline poured through his body, making him hyper-aware of everything going on around him in that one pivotal moment. Time seemed to slow to a halt as he processed the scene surrounding him, picking up on every minute detail. A football stadium, drenched in lights, highlighted the players on the field like it was high noon instead of a late August evening. The chants of the crowd filled his senses and he tried desperately to block them out so he could focus on the task at hand.

There was less than a minute on the clock and Ohio State was tied with Toledo, 13-13. This was the last play of the game; his last shot at starting out the season on top. It wasn't easy being the quarterback of a college football team, especially when that college has given you a full ride solely based on how well you could throw said football, but in his junior year, he knew that anything was possible.

He called out the play to his other teammates, sweat dripping down his face as his heart continued to pound like a jackhammer. The ball snapped to him and he was on; ready to prove to his school that he was the leader, the one they could rely on. He was the play-maker, the captain; and he would do anything to make sure his team won and his scholarship and reputation stayed in tact.

He spotted his teammate at the far end of the field, sprinting for his life while about ten giant men ran straight towards the quarterback, hoping to intercept the play and ruin their chance at victory. Throwing as hard and as high as he possibly could, he could see the ball soar through the air before the opposing team pummeled him from all sides. Hitting the ground like a brick, the weight of the other players knocked the air right out of his lungs, but the roar of the crowd was the only thing he cared about.

The play was complete. His teammate had scored.

There was still enough time left in the game for one more play, and while it was moot to their victory, it had to be done. He set up the ball to complete the field goal, and the kicker ran over to him, a light skip in his step. Kurt Hummel might have been gayer than a three-dollar-bill, but he was the best kicker the team had; he might have been the best kicker Finn had ever seen in a lifetime of playing football. And he was a cool dude, despite the fact that Kurt hit on him all of the time. The skinny, yet strong, kicker winked to him while he placed his helmet over his hair very carefully.

"Victory party at the TKE house tonight, of which I'm sure you're well aware." Kurt shot him a sly smile and got into position while Finn rolled his eyes dramatically, thankful that his helmet hid his expression. _Of course_ he knew about the after party- it was taking place at his frat house right outside of campus. He had been a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon since his first semester of sophomore year, and as a junior, and the QB, he basically ran the frat.

Even if he refused to live at the house. That place was a testosterone fueled-pig sty.

Finn started the final play of the game, smiling broadly while Kurt executed a perfect kick, launching the football through the goal posts. The crowd exploded as the final score was posted, 20-13. The first game of the season was a victory for Finn, and he couldn't wait to reap the benefits of being big man on campus for the third year in a row.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

His shower was nothing short of blissful when he returned to his apartment off campus. Just because he refused to live in the TKE house, didn't mean he wanted to live on-campus anymore. His scholarship covered tuition and board, so he'd had his board money refunded to him so he could live off campus for his junior year. No more RA's and smelly bathrooms and overly-friendly neighbors. He had found a nice two bedroom apartment in town, where the rent was cheaper to attract the college kids. His roommate, Mike, known to the rest of the campus as Panda, was another one of his frat brothers. Panda was a cool guy: he was much neater than his other frat brothers, and always enjoyed a good time, but because he didn't have the luxury of a scholarship, he had to make his rent money a different way.

By selling weed to the good students of Ohio State University. Even sometimes the townies.

He exited the bathroom to find the living room full of people, surrounded by a thick cloud of acrid smoke. Some of the guys he recognized as his other frat brothers, with a few girls mixed into the party. They were all in their Ohio State colors, and when Finn walked towards his bedroom in his towel, the stoned group of college kids all cheered for him.

"Getting ready for the party, Hudson?" Panda was surrounded by girls on both sides of the couch and he had to smile at his buddy. He didn't really know why people called him Panda, but he was pretty sure it was for the chicks: apparently the ladies thought he was just _adorable_.

"Yeah man, but I can see that you're already getting started." Finn smirked at his roommate while he coughed lightly in the thick smoke that permeated the apartment. He didn't mind the smoke really, he just didn't partake in the activity because of football and his scholarship. Nothing was going to compromise his free ride, he wouldn't allow it.

"You know it dude! We're heading out to the TKE house in 15 minutes, hurry your ass!" He laughed and nodded at the acquaintances that filled his living room as he retreated to his bedroom, his one place of solitude and peace. As much as he loved being one of the most popular guys on campus, he still needed his private space. If he had lived in the TKE house with his other brothers, then he would never have a moment to himself. It would be one giant, never-ending frat party.

And Finn had classes to attend.

He closed the door behind him, locking it and turning on his desk lamp. Random textbooks were piled onto his desk and he frowned at them, wanting to just ignore them altogether. One of the most important aspects of his scholarship was the fact that he had to keep a GPA of over 2.75 every semester. While that might sound easy for most students, it was borderline torture for Finn.

He had never been a good student. As far back as he could remember, school had always been a struggle for him. For a while, he never thought he would even attend college, much to the chagrin of his mother. When he had been awarded the scholarship, she had never been more proud. Her son, her Finn, was going to college; something she had only ever dreamed of. He wanted nothing but to make his mother proud of him; they were all the other had, and this was an opportunity he could not pass up. He had to do anything in his power to keep his scholarship and make his mother's dreams come true. This wasn't just about him.

The only problem was that Finn still struggled when it came to his academics. He still hadn't chosen a major yet, and instead took 100-level classes of pretty much any subject. But as a junior, he was starting to get anxious about school. He had to eventually pick a major and stick with it in order to complete his scholarship, but he could barely handle the freshman level classes, let alone a class on the 200 or 300 level. Besides, he had taken a class in almost every field and nothing had really captured his attention. All of his friends knew what they wanted to study, why they wanted to study it, and they had a certain passion about it that Finn did not feel. Right now the only thing Finn was passionate about was football, but sadly it wasn't even offered as a minor.

No, Finn had to make a decision this semester. He had to find a major he loved and stick with it for the long run. Even if he had to stay at OSU for another year to make up on all of his previous bullshitting.

But all that educational planning could happen _after_ the victory party tonight. He hurried to get ready but Panda and his friends were already gone, leaving Finn to walk over to the TKE house by himself. Some of this semester's pledges were outside of the party, collecting money from the other guests in exchange for a cup and free reign on the kegs. When Finn walked by, all the pledges bowed their heads in respect for their frat brother, and Finn had to smile.

Oh, the joys of pledging.

Finn got his cup from one of the pledges without having to pay, being a frat brother himself and the star of the party. He walked inside the house where about ten of his other frat brothers lived. Inside the kitchen was two kegs, and the line of people was out the door and down the hallway. But Finn just strolled forward and high-fived the person at the front of the line. He wasn't even sure he knew the dude, but he took Finn's cup and filled it for him, and no one even bat an eye.

His life was _awesome_ sometimes.

The whole ground level of the house was packed with people, so much so that Finn could barely recognize his frat brothers and his teammates in the crowd. The smell of alcohol and marijuana and sweat was thick in the air, but his light buzz dulled his senses enough that he didn't even notice. Everyone he walked by took the time to shake his hand or congratulate him on the win. His self-esteem was through the roof and he walked around like the giant 6"3 inch stud he was. Everyone was being extremely friendly.

Especially the _ladies_.

"Hi Finn!" He turned around when he heard the chorus of voices and smiled widely when he came face-to-face with the Monaco twins, Anna and Trish. They were in Sigma Delta Tau, which was his frat's sister sorority, so he knew them quite well. "You were so amazing tonight!" Trish twirled her hair around her fingers seductively while he caught Anna blatantly checking him out. It suddenly felt very hot in the crowded house.

"We were hoping we could take the celebration back to our apartment tonight." Anna whispered into his ear and his smile was wide and wicked. "Maybe we could recreate what happened during Spring Break last April?" What happened between him and the Monaco twins during Spring Break last year is still one of his frat's favorite stories to tell. Feeling salacious, he wrapped an arm around each sister and led them to the backyard so they could chat some more. He joined a group of brothers from his frat and spent the evening mingling and reveling in his popularity.

That is, until the sound of a siren pierced the silence of the night.

All of a sudden cops were everywhere, infiltrating the party and pulling kids out on the street in handcuffs. It was common fact that more than half these kids were under 21, and there was plenty of drug use going on inside. He idly thought about his roommate Panda, but he knew that his bro would be able to take care of himself. He could see people running in every direction and he broke off from his other brothers, and unfortunately for him, the Monaco twins. He cut through the woods for cover and ran back to his apartment. Nothing could compromise his scholarship, especially not a stupid frat house party. Maybe he should stop attending them if they were going to be raided every week.

He ran until he was out of breath, still a bit buzzed from the beers he was able to drink before the party was narc-ed out. As he entered his empty apartment he went straight to the couch to play some XBox and get his mind off the failed party. He wanted to wait up for Panda to make sure his bro was alright, and he idly thought about calling the Monaco twins to see if they still wanted to come over. But eventually sleep caught up with him, and he passed out on his couch with his controller still in his hands, and the sun peeking over the horizon.

Panda still hadn't returned.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Running a hand over his face in frustration, he stared at the empty bedroom in shock, unsure of what to do next. Panda had been arrested the night of the OSU/Michigan game with enough weed on him to be charged with intent to sell. In order to avoid jail time, he was stripped of his ability to use Financial Aid and student loans, so he had to drop out of school and move back home. He mourned the loss of his good friend, but Panda had left him in an awkward position.

He now needed another roommate.

It was hard to believe that it was only the first full week of classes. He'd been living with Panda all summer for football camp and he'd grown attached to his frat brother. Now he had to find a new roommate, someone he could get along with but would still respect his personal space. He'd asked some of his frat brothers; the ones who weren't slobs and had a chill disposition. No one was interested. He'd asked the Monaco twins to spread the word around Delta Tau but they said all the girls were too intimidated to live with Finn Hudson. Actually, their words had been: "Yeah, you can live with a Delta Tau, if you wanted to get _raped_ every night."

He'd rather pass on that. He liked the ladies, especially the sorority girls, but living off-campus was all he'd dreamed about since freshman year. His chance to be independent and have the full college experience on his own terms. He didn't care if he lived with a guy or a chick, he just needed a roommate fast who wouldn't cramp his style. He had rent to pay and he would be damned if he had to move when the semester was already in session. So he turned to his football friends and asked around until someone had finally given him the name of a girl who was looking for an apartment.

That someone just happened to be Kurt Hummel.

He dialed Kurt's number and he picked up on the third ring, a slight lilt in his greeting. "_Hello, Finn_," he practically purred and Finn felt awkward already and he wasn't even in the room with him. "What can I do for you on this fine Monday morning?"

"Hey dude, did you talk to that chick about the apartment?" What was the name he'd said last night? Something with an R. . .

"Yeah, she said she was really interested. She wants to know if she could stop by after her morning class to check it out." It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders as the words sunk in. He pumped his fist in the air victoriously and stopped pacing around the empty room.

"Awesome, what was her name again? And how is it that you know her?"

"Rachel. Rachel Berry. She's in my advanced music theory class and she's a double major in both theatre arts and music."

He shrugged his shoulders, unfamiliar with the name. "I don't know her."

Kurt's scoff was sharp and without humor. "Don't let her know that. She's been the star of every show at OSU since Freshman year, she's a bit of a diva." He balked when faced with that bit of information. He didn't want some bossy diva ruining his chance at a perfect year, no mater how desperate he was. But Kurt plowed on, unaware of his hesitance, "But she kind of keeps to herself, so it shouldn't be that bad. Besides, she's really desperate. She said she's been sleeping on the couches in the Student Union Building since last week." Well, it was settled then. This girl sounded more desperate than he did, and he thought his situation had been bad. He idly wondered why she'd be sleeping on couches, but if she was willing to move in and pay rent up-front, then he could get over whatever quirks she seemed to have.

"All right, Kurt. Tell her to come over after her morning class and I'll be here waiting for her." He gave Kurt his address and thanked him profusely for helping him find a new roommate on such short notice.

He just hoped things worked out with this Rachel girl. She was his last chance at a perfect year.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At around 11 am, Finn heard a knock on his door that could only be his potential new roommate, Rachel. He had spent the morning cleaning up as best as he could. He was never the most tidy guy when he was living with his mom in Lima, but now that he had his own place he liked keeping it clean. He also wanted to prove to this girl that not all guys were slobs; it was a stereotype that he hated.

Running his hand through his hair, he looked at himself in the mirror once before entering the hallway. He didn't want to brag, but he knew he was kind of a stud. Football star, frat brother; he had no problem picking up girls and _loved_ their company. He loved them so much he refused to have a girlfriend so he could share the wealth with the entire student body. He didn't know what he expected from this Rachel girl, but he was kind of hoping she wouldn't fall for him. That would be _awkward_.

He opened the door and had to bend his neck down to see the petite brunette that was standing on his doorstep. Before he could even take a second to appraise her, she stuck her hand out and shook his hand enthusiastically. "Hello there! You must be Finn Hudson, Kurt Hummel told me all about you. I am positively delighted that you were able to meet with me on such short notice."

It took him a second to process all she had said in such a small amount of time. He had never met anyone who could talk so fast. And energetically. It took him a second to remember his manners. "Well you're helping me out as well. Rachel, right? Come in, I'll show you around." He stepped away from the door and the girl marched into his apartment with purpose, examining everything with a critical eye. Sometimes he couldn't tell if she was impressed or disappointed with the apartment, and he was waiting to hear her opinion. He showed her the living room/kitchen area, her bedroom, the bathroom and the small patio they had, being on the second floor of the small apartment complex. After the mini tour, they stood in the living room a bit awkwardly, waiting for someone to speak.

"So, what do you think?" Why was he so anxious over this tiny girl's opinion? She hadn't said more than a peep during the tour when she'd seemed so energetic in the beginning. Maybe she didn't like it?

"To be honest, this is one of the nicest apartment's I've ever been in. How much is the rent?"

"400$ with utilities included. Plus we have internet and cable, so that's extra every month." Her head was bowed, deep in thought and for a second he thought she wouldn't take the room. His eyes lingered on her face while she was deep in contemplation and he hadn't even realized that this girl was kind of sneaky hot. He hadn't noticed at first because of the initial shock, but she did have a rather large nose. But her skin was flawless, her lips were full and rosy pink and her body was just plain smokin'. He was surprised they hadn't met before, he was sure he knew all the hot girls at OSU. He was snapped from his fantasies of his potential roommate when her voice rang clear in the apartment.

"Well as my roommate, I think it would be fair for me to share some of my own house rules with you, in case it is you who doesn't want to live with me." Finn was on pins and needles with this statement, but he nodded anyway, wanting to know what her rules were. "Nobody in the house after midnight during the week." Well, that rule wasn't so bad, he thought as he nodded his head for her to continue. "We clean up after ourselves- just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'll clean up after you." Shrugging his shoulders, he knew it to be fair, but he never would have expected her to become his maid anyway. He wasn't one of _those_ guys. "And finally, no smoking in the house. I cannot compromise my voice for any reason. If I want to win a Tony before I'm 30, my voice needs to stay in top form."

He had to smile to himself. Maybe Kurt had been exaggerating, this girl didn't seem like a diva at all! Having ambitions didn't make her a diva. He grinned widely at her, excited that he'd found a new roommate who didn't want to rape him every night. "I think I can live with those rules."

A small smile pulled up at the corners of her mouth until she revealed a perfect set of shiny white teeth. He almost did a double-take. Those were movie star teeth! And she had a beautiful smile. . . "Well then I will be back in a little while with my possessions! I shall see you later,_ r__oomie_!" She gathered her bag and he walked her to the door, waving goodbye as she walked down the complex stairs to the parking lot, full of questions about this Rachel girl. She hadn't seemed that bad at all, and despite the random rules and her motor-mouth, she was actually kind of hot.

This was an arrangement he could live with.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

So? Thoughts?

Until Next Time. . . *sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	2. Roomies

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy!

A/N: Oh, the joys of A/U! This story is going to be funnnnnn...

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Two: Roomies**

Watching the small blue car rolling out of the apartment complex parking lot, Finn retreated back into his apartment with a small smile on his face. That had gone fairly well; he was happy with his first impression of his new roommate, Rachel, despite the random rules she had imposed on the apartment. He hoped that this arrangement worked out for the both of them, because he really didn't want to have to go through this kind of search all over again.

Showering and primping himself in the mirror, he wanted to look his best for his first full week of classes. Last week there had only been classes on Thursday and Friday, so Finn was looking forward to his Monday/Wednesday routine. His day was booked solid with new subjects at the 100 level, and he had to check his master schedule to make sure he knew where he was going for the day.

He frowned when he looked at his class schedule for the semester. He had taken almost every 100 level class possible and had almost run out of choices for this term. His only choice was to start taking subjects he normally wouldn't have, like Art and Music classes, hoping he would be able to coast through with an easy B. The class title "Appreciating the Theater Arts" stood out on his schedule as his first class of the afternoon, and his only solace was that it was a lecture class, so he could easily lose himself in the sea of students while the professor droned on about nothing. Hell, the class didn't even use a textbook! It might just be the best class he'd ever signed up for.

The rest of his afternoon was booked solid as well. He had an Intro to Sociology class at 3 and a Beginners Pottery class at 5. Tonight he had football practice until 9, and then a frat meeting at 10. Being popular was very time-consuming.

That meant he wouldn't be seeing his new roommate until later tonight, unless she managed to make it back to the apartment with all of her stuff before 12:30. He loathed having classes before noon, so he'd hand-picked his schedule to find every class that took place in the afternoon. He knew that his days would be booked solid until football season was over and pledging was done with, and it would be difficult balancing homework in as well. But he liked keeping himself busy. It made him feel like he was maximizing his college experience to the fullest.

At around a quarter to noon, Rachel had returned to the apartment with her car loaded full of her possessions. She entered the space with a huge box labeled "bathroom" that looked like it was bigger than she was, and he automatically knew that living with a girl like Rachel would be a challenge.

He liked challenges though. He wouldn't have accepted a college scholarship to a school like OSU if he was the kind of guy who gave up easily.

The petite girl looked like she was struggling from the weight of the box, and he glided over to his new roommate and took it from her. She willingly handed it over.

"Why thank you, Finn! Your chivalry will not be soon forgotten." She squeaked brightly as she exited the house to grab another box. He stood there for a minute, confused. What did _chivalry_ mean? He shrugged, thinking it was probably a good thing from the way she'd smiled at him and practically hopped out of the room. She sure had a large vocabulary; he would have to learn how to keep up.

He followed her back to her car after plopping the box down in her bedroom. How one girl was able to load all this junk into such a small car was beyond his comprehension. He had to smile when he caught her grinning brightly at him after he pulled another heavy box from her trunk. She really did have an amazing smile. . .

The one thing he noticed right away, though, was that she didn't have a bed or a frame. Why wouldn't she have her own bed if she knew she would be living off-campus? Where would she sleep tonight? After helping her load about half of her possessions into the apartment, he knew he had to get ready to leave for class, but he was curious. He wouldn't be seeing her again until late tonight, maybe even tomorrow, and he had some questions that had been bugging him since they had met earlier that morning.

"So, whats your deal, Berry? Why are you here at OSU?" He asked with a grin as she bent over in her ridiculously short pleated skirt to unpack some kitchen appliances. He thought only catholic school girls wore plaid pleated skirts like that, but he wasn't complaining. In fact, he had to look away quickly to avoid being caught when she turned around to answer him. For such a shortie, her legs were, just, _out of control_. . .

Oblivious to his blatant staring, she puffed out her chest proudly and stood up as tall as she could. "I am here, Finn, to study music and the art of theater in one of the largest colleges in the nation. OSU has a fabulous theater department, and I have received some of the best training in the nation throughout the past four semesters." She paused and a light blush highlighted her olive skin, "I also kind of didn't get into Northwestern, but you can't win them all." He had to smile at her cheery attitude while she continued to unpack. "So what about you, Finn? What do you study?"

Why did it suddenly feel like his heart had dropped into his stomach? Never in his college life had he been afraid to proclaim that he was undecided until this very moment. Anxiety made his hair stand on end as he struggled with his own insecurities in front of a girl he had barely met an hour ago. She just seemed so _passionate_ about music, and he almost felt ashamed that he didn't have something of his own to be passionate about. What would she think of him? Should he lie? He wished he could somehow change the subject, but Rachel was staring at him and waiting for an answer, and he knew he had to be honest with his new roommate.

"Well, I'm kind of still undecided," he said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck in shame, "I'm here on a football scholarship and I'm the quarterback for the Buckeyes. I haven't really taken school very seriously up until now, and I still don't know what I want to do with myself."

Her brow was furrowed and he stared at her as she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. Where was the criticism? The sympathetic looks? "Well, there's nothing wrong with that, you just need to find something that lights your fire."

"Huh?"

"You know, something to become passionate about. It doesn't matter if it's math or music or making clay vases, as long as you love it, you should go for it. Take me for example: I am going to complete my degree and move to the city of New York, where I will go on to become a celebrated and beloved Broadway star! I was just lucky enough to know what I've wanted since infancy, but not everyone has that luxury. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that stimulates you intellectually. Who knows, this could be your lucky semester!" Once again, her bright movie star teeth were exposed in a blinding smile and her words permeated his thick skull. He still had time, right? There had to be something here at OSU that sti-sti- what was the word she'd used? Oh yeah,_ stimulated_. He actually felt a bit better about himself, even though he still had his doubts.

"But I've taken almost every beginner's class at this school, and nothing really stands out to me," he sighed. "I don't know what I should do anymore." He looked at his watch and his heart almost jumped out of his chest when he realized what time it was. He had to be on campus for his first class in 15 minutes! "Shit! I'm sorry, I can't stay, I have to run to class." But he had so much more he wanted to ask her! Unfortunately, it would have to wait for tonight.

"No problem, Finn. Thanks for all your help!" She waved brightly at him while he put on his shoes and grabbed his keys, stuffing his textbooks into his bag on his way out the door. "I hope you find something today that lights your fire!"

He winked at her on his way out and he could have sworn that he saw a slight blush grace her features while a small smile lifted her rosy cheeks. _That_ was a good sign. Grinning on the way to his car, her words from before swam around in his head; something that was very rare in the world of Finn Hudson. Maybe Rachel was right and his new roommate was some kind of genius! Maybe this could really be his lucky year! But as he stared at his class schedule, his grin sunk into a deep frown. Sociology, Pottery, Theater, Music Theory 101, and Intro to Film.

This was going to be a long semester.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Lecture Hall was a large building on the far end of campus, where the classrooms were built to accommodate up to 200 students for a single lecture. These kinds of classes were his favorites; attendance was rarely taken, and the teacher usually just droned on while half the class paid enough attention to scribble down random notes.

He took a seat toward the back of the class, and watched while the lecture hall filled with other students. Two people entered the classroom from the front of the room, and he figured it was the professor. He'd been in enough lectures to know that sometimes the professors had TA's: Teacher's Assistants who were normally in the Graduate program. The taller one with the ridiculously curly hair started to write his name on the board in horrid script while Finn already felt like he was falling asleep. Professor William Schuester collected himself before approaching the podium in the front of the hall and addressing the class.

"Good Morning everyone, and welcome to _Appreciation of Theater Arts_. I am your professor for the semester, Will Schuester. You can call me Professor Schue if you wish." He had a pleasing demeanor and smiled at the multitude of students in his class. He looked kind of young to be a professor, but he continued his lecture with a certain poise that couldn't be ignored. "I am the Dean of the Theater Arts department, and as such, I had the ability to choose whatever I wanted to teach this semester. I chose ATA, because let's face it, this class is easy as pie and I was feeling lazy this year." Finn laughed to himself along with some of the other students. He didn't seem half bad.

"I would like to introduce you to my TA for the term: Jesse St. James is one of my grad students in the Theatre Arts department, and he will be doing most of my work for me because, as I said before, I am very lazy." The younger guy stepped forward to wave to the class and Finn shrugged when he spotted the self-absorbed smirk on his face. "Jesse is one of OSU's top performers, and I hope that you have the chance to see him perform live someday." Rolling his eyes from the back row, he would rather be caught dead at one of this pansy's shows. He looked like a grade-A douche-bag. Professor Schue handed Jesse a stack of syllabi and he started to pass them down the rows of students.

"Now, today is the first day of this class so let me give you the basics. This class is about Theatre Arts Appreciation, including the origins and evolution of theater. It takes place twice a week on Monday's and Wednesdays, where we will discuss the history of theater and analyze famous pieces. It is also a course requirement to attend all the productions put on by the OSU theater department, and write a 5-6 page analysis on each of them. If you don't attend the plays and musicals, you fail. And I will know if you don't attend, because you must attach your ticket stub with your signature on the front of every paper. You will find all other important information regarding grading on the syllabus." Finn groaned along with more than half of the class, letting his head drop onto his desk in frustration. Now he was being _forced_ to attend the stupid shows at this school; and he thought this class was going to be easy. His attention was focused on Professor Schuester when he realized the man was still talking. "As for today, since it's the start of the class and all, I am going to show you a taped performance of last spring's musical, _The Pirates of Penzance_, starring our own Jesse St. James as Frederic and another one of our talented undergraduate students, Rachel Berry, as Mabel."

His head snapped off his desk when he heard the professor utter the name of his new roommate. Hadn't Kurt mentioned that she was in the shows here? Maybe there _was_ good reason to sit through them, though he would never admit it to anyone.

His eyes were glued to the front of the room when Professor Schue lowered the lights and a large projector descended from the ceiling. A decent cam recording started to play, and Finn had never been more intrigued to learn more about his new roomie as he recognized the cocky TA on screen, singing and dancing around with a bunch of pirates.

He looked like a total pussy.

It took a while for Rachel's character to be introduced, Mabel, or something like that. She entered the stage during a grand solo, and he sat up straight as a rod when he realized that the voice that was projecting from the surround-sound speakers came out of the petite girl he now called his roommate.

To say he was surprised was the understatement of the year. He was _blown away_.

Her voice was beautiful. Just plain gorgeous. It swam around in his head, making him light-headed, and made his chest feel, _full_, somehow, he couldn't even explain it. He had to take deep breaths to calm himself down and stop the hammering of his heart in his ears because it was blocking out the sound of her voice. He had never known anyone outside of MTV who could sing like that, and it was hard to believe that all of that sound came out of a girl so tiny. No wonder Kurt had told him she was a diva; he would be one too if he could sing like that! He found himself getting really into the play, and realized that he had never even sat through a whole performance of anything before, besides that one Rush tribute band concert back home in Lima.

But _this_, this was something else entirely.

He caught the smarmy TA, Jesse, staring at the screen lovingly while his character pranced about with Rachel on stage, totally admiring himself like a jackass. But in a moment of clarity, he realized that Rachel and him were probably friends, seeing as they had starred in this show together. His irrational dislike for Jesse was uncalled for, and he had to learn to keep his cool if this Jesse kid would be visiting Rachel at the apartment. A disturbing thought entered his mind, and he wondered if Jesse was staring at _himself_ lovingly, or if it was _Rachel_ that was the focus of his attention. Finn couldn't tell, and from the way their characters were kissing on stage, he wondered if maybe they were dating or something.

Why did that thought make him want to punch somebody?

The class was over before the play had ended, and he found himself feeling really disappointed that he couldn't watch anymore of his roommate's performance. He shot Jesse some nasty looks on his way out, not caring if his dislike was irrational or not. A swarm of girls were crowded around him, and he seemed all too pleased with himself as he talked with them. This guy thought he was _so_ hot. . .

Before he did anything stupid on the first day of class, he grabbed his bag and left the Lecture Hall, ready to face the rest of his hectic, over-booked day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He almost had to drag himself up the apartment complex stairs when he'd returned back to his apartment at 11pm. Knowing already that this semester was going to be _brutal_, he felt pure exhaustion seeping into his very bones.

He was so. damn._ hungry_. In all the rush of his day he hadn't found the opportunity to eat at all, and now at 11pm, he couldn't find anything close to his apartment that was open. He knew he had some ramen and TV dinners inside, but he seriously felt like he could eat a horse. His stomach rumbled painfully as he shoved his key in the lock and turned. The door opened silently and he was ready to drag himself inside when he noticed that something was in his way.

"Hello Finn!"

"Ahh!" He took a step backwards, feeling foolish for the rush of adrenaline that quickened his pulse and put him on edge. "Rachel, you scared the shit out of me!"

Her mouth turned into a little pout and she looked away in shame. "I'm sorry, Finn. It's just that I've waited all night to repay you for your chivalrous deeds and I was excited for you to come home!" Her pout quickly melted away and her smile returned in full as she grabbed his hand and led him into the apartment. He wasn't sure if his heart had returned to it's normal rhythm yet. "And I've fully unpacked my things and added some feminine touches to the apartment! I am anxious for your opinion!"

Whoa, whoa! Repay him? Feminine touches? He was so exhausted he thought he was going to die and his stomach felt like it was eating itself and things were just happening _way too_ fast around him. But when they walked into the living room, he had to do a double take. The apartment looked, well, _nice_. She had hung decorative tapestries on the walls to hide the barren whiteness (how could she reach so high?), and placed candles and potpourri plates on some of the furniture, making the apartment smell like that flower shop he used to ride bikes by as a kid. It was fine for the living area, where they would have guests over, but he wouldn't be allowing her decorative reign over his room anytime soon. It wasn't half bad. The tapestries were a little _much_, but maybe he could ask her to take some down and replace it with some movie posters. He had a collection of Tarantino's best in his room that he never got around to hanging up this summer. It wasn't until he felt a pull on the back of his shirt when he remembered that Rachel was still standing there, waiting for his reaction. She bit her lip nervously and for a second he couldn't take his eyes off of her mouth.

"So, what do you think?" She said in a very small voice, like one word out of his mouth could crush her. He had come to the conclusion that his new roommate was an extremely complex person. During the performance he had witnessed in ATA, she was strong, determined and fierce. A force to be reckoned with. But here, in her new home, where it was nothing but Finn and Rachel, she was very vulnerable. He doubted that many people saw this side of Rachel Berry.

And he needed to know why. He needed to learn more about this girl he now called his roomie. No girl had ever intrigued him like this before, and he wondered if it was only because they were living together.

But he forced those ideas out of his mind, lifted his cheek in a half-smile that the ladies _loved_, and lifted his hand for a high five. "I think you did an awesome job, Berry." Her hand slapped against his while she looked as if she'd won the award she'd been talking about that morning. But the loud grumble of his stomach reminded him of his previous hunger and he smiled sheepishly as he started to walk to the kitchen, hoping he could find something decent to eat. But one of her tiny hands reached out and grabbed him on the bicep, stopping him in his tracks.

"Wait, Finn! I still have to repay you!" He was starting to get a little bit annoyed with his new roommate. Couldn't she tell that he was dying of famine over here? But his jaw dropped to the floor when she went into the kitchen and opened the oven, pulling out a box of pizza and a brown paper bag. "I bought you dinner! I hope you like pizza and garlic bread! I've been keeping it warm for you. It's to thank you for helping me this morning. I was really so desperate, and I can't even begin to explain how much this all means to me. . ." There was a slight hitch in her voice as her eyes became very sad. "I don't really have a lot of friends and you just went out of your way to help a complete stranger and I think it's a testament to how good of a person you are." She was rambling and her eyes only became more and more sad while he started to flesh out more about her history. "So thank you, Finn Hudson." Were those tears in her eyes? "And I hope you enjoy your dinner." She placed the box down on the kitchen table and turned to walk into her room, leaving him alone with his personal feast.

But he didn't want to be alone.

"Wait." He called to her and she stopped in her tracks, quickly wiping an idle tear away and looking up at him hesitantly. "Would you like to join me?"

Her mouth dropped open in shock and she quickly shook her head. "No, I ate dinner already, I bought this for you."

He tried to make his voice sound as lighthearted as possible. "You think I'm going to share this food with you? I'll bite your hand off, don't tempt me." A slight giggle escaped her lips but she still looked hesitant. "I mean, I want you to sit with me. I would like to get to know you better, Rachie B." The nickname just slipped out of his mouth and he liked the way it sounded immediately. In his experience, girls loved it when you give them a silly name, so he was pretty good at making them up.

But he shouldn't be thinking about her like all the other chicks in his life; they had to live together, share the same space. She wasn't just some girl, she was _Rachel_. And he was still waiting for her answer; she looked away from him, shyly, and he thought she might refuse him. Had he crossed a line with the name?

"No one's ever given me a nickname before." She said in a very low voice that was hard for him to hear. But he'd heard it. When she looked back up at him, her face was determined and there was a certain light in her eyes that he couldn't ignore. "Alright Finn, have a seat. Let's chat."

"Cool." He said, like a complete dork, and sat down, opening up the box of pizza and reveling in the glorious smell. Picking up a slice, he almost shoved the whole thing down his gullet and Rachel looked borderline appalled at his eating habits.

"Finn, chew, you're going to choke." She laughed at his antics and started the conversation. "So Kurt was telling me all about you today, Mr. Quarterback," he shrugged his shoulders and picked up his third slice, "Football star, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. . . you must be very talented at football to have received a full ride."

He stopped eating long enough to breathe and pour himself a coke. "Yeah, I love football. When I was a kid, and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would tell them 'Brett Favre.'" She laughed as he attacked the garlic bread, worshiping the goddess he now called his roommate. She was something _else_. Not only was she talented, she was very thoughtful, and easy to be around. It felt effortless to hang out with her as they learned more about the other. In-between chews he was able to continue the conversation. "But what about you? Kurt also had some things to say about the star of the OSU theater department."

She sat up straight in her chair, looking defiant. "Oh? What did he say? That I'm a diva? If I _am_ a diva, it is only because I thrive for perfection, and I will not accept anything less from anyone." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and dared him to deny that Kurt had called her a diva. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Well, kinda." He sounded so lame, and he felt even lamer when she bowed her head in sadness. Shit, this wasn't going so well. "But it's a good thing, because you're really freaking talented. We watched your performance of _Pirates of Wherever_ in my theater appreciation class today and you have a kick-ass voice." That was the understatement of the semester, but he didn't want to come off as some weirdo fan-boy. He was trying to make her feel better, but now she looked like he had just kicked a puppy. Into traffic.

"You watched _Pirates of Penzance_ in your class today?" She looked _horrified_. He kept on eating.

"Yeah, and that dude that you were kissing in the show is the TA for the class." Now she looked horrified _and_ nauseous.

"Jesse is your TA?" Her voice had raised several octaves and her eyes looked like they were about to fall out of her face. What was the big deal?

"Yeah, why? Who is he? An old boyfriend?"

She closed herself off then, her face becoming a blank mask of indifference as she bolted from the table. Running into her bedroom without another word, she locked the door; the sound almost startling him while he choked down his sixth slice of pizza.

_Shit_.

He felt terrible. He was only trying to get to know her better and he'd scared her off unintentionally. But at least he knew one positive thing: his irrational dislike for Jesse was no longer irrational. Rachel and Jesse had a history, and she was apparently still _raw_ about it.

What made him feel even worse though, he realized before he succumbed to his exhaustion an hour later, was that he hadn't even had the chance to thank her for dinner.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Lots of drama is coming your way! Get ready for it!

Until Next Time. . . *sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	3. Home Improvements

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: So I have received a couple of notes from people saying the OSU/Michigan game is at the end of the season and its a pretty big deal. I'm not a college football fan, but If someone out there is, could you let me know the name of another team they might play early in the season? I'm going to change it so they can play Michigan at the end of the semester (for dramatic effect). Thanks kids!

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Three: Home Improvements**

Finn couldn't pinpoint exactly why he wasn't able to sleep well that night. Maybe it was because he went to bed with enough food in his stomach to feed a small family. Maybe it was because he was so tired he couldn't relax. Or maybe it was because the wounded eyes of his new roommate kept popping up in his head and he couldn't chase them away no matter how hard he tried.

When he did sleep, he tossed and turned and never really got any rest. At about 4am, he woke up to get himself a glass of water, hoping he would finally be able to fall back to sleep and be lazy all morning. He exited his bedroom and started walking down the hall to the kitchen when something in the living room caught his attention.

Rachel was sleeping on the couch in the living room, a pink fleece blanket wrapped tightly around her and covering her face up to her nose. She was fast asleep, her breathing soft and even and Finn felt his legs moving of their own accord, bringing him closer to the sleeping girl. Question after question buzzed around in his brain when he finally remembered that she didn't have a bed. She must have waited up to make sure he was asleep first before coming out here. He didn't mind, of course. Even though he had bought this couch for 15 dollars at the Salvation Army, it was still plush and very comfortable.

But why didn't she have her own bed? The enigma that was Rachel Berry only became more complex the more he got to know her. He continued to gaze at his sleeping roommate, without realizing that he was being a creepy creeper who watched girls sleep. Shaking his head sadly, he knew he had to just get his damn water and go back to bed.

He just wished things had gone better earlier that night. Rachel was a sweet girl, and she'd obviously been through a lot before moving into the apartment. He wanted this arrangement to be beneficial for the both of them; he wanted to see her happy.

But if she kept closing herself off from him, he would never get anywhere. He needed to make more of an effort to get to know her better and also, to show her that he was a decent guy as well.

Nodding to himself, determined, he grabbed his glass of water from the kitchen and went back into his bedroom, falling asleep immediately with plans for his new roommate floating around in his head.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When he finally woke up for the day, it was about 10:30 in the morning, and he poked his head outside of his bedroom to see if Rachel was still around. However, the apartment seemed totally empty, and there was no sign at all that his roommate had slept on the couch last night.

But he knew better. She had been there.

She seemed like a morning person, so he figured that she was probably on campus at a class already. He checked his master list of classes and sighed in relief. His Tuesday schedule was much more lax than Monday, so he had some time before he had to leave the apartment for the day. _Intro to Film_ and _Music Theory 101_ seemed like decent enough classes, and he already had some reading to do for Theory because last Thursday had been the first day of the course. So while he had the morning free, he went into his bedroom and sat at his desk, opening up the music theory textbook and reading up on notes and rests.

Now, Finn had never seemed like the kind of guy who was into the whole music theory thing, but there was a lot that people didn't know about OSU's star quarterback. One of the reasons he'd been so anxious to live off-campus was that he would finally have a chance to set up his drum kit without having to disturb a whole hallway full of students. Here, in apartment 2B, he could practice his drums all afternoon and never bother anyone, because most of his neighbors were university students anyway, so the complex was practically empty during the day. The drums were a kind of release for Finn; he'd been playing the drums since he was a kid which was a fact that very few people knew about. Grabbing a drumstick, he tapped the cymbal lightly to the beats that were being described in the book.

This music theory stuff was _easy_. He should have taken it ages ago!

After working on some more theory practice, he moved on to browsing his syllabus for Film class. This course was also going to be a breeze; the syllabus was packed with movies he'd already seen before, like _Rear Window_ and his favorite movie, _Pulp Fiction_. All they had to do was watch the movie in class and write a papers about them. Piece of cake.

Mmm. _Cake_.

He realized he was hungry, and he put his reading away so he could make himself a quick lunch before he had to be on campus. Rachel still hadn't returned, and he was hoping that he hadn't scared her away for good after their conversation from the night before. He finished making himself some lunch and was about to leave for the day, when something stopped him from leaving the apartment. It was this weird feeling, like he should try and contact Rachel now, before he missed the chance to talk to her at all. They didn't know each other's schedules yet, and he felt like he had to explain himself somehow.

So he opened up his backpack and took out a piece of paper and a pen. The empty lined paper looked intimidating to him as he struggled with what he was going to write. What should he even say? It took him almost ten minutes and three pieces of paper to come up with a decent enough note.

_Dear Rachel,_  
_I never had the chance to thank you for buying me dinner last night. It was really awesome of you, no girl has ever bought __**me**_ _dinner before! If I made you upset last night, I'm really sorry. I was just trying to get to know my roommate better and sometimes I can sound like a big jerk without knowing it. My mom always said it's because I never think before I speak. I think she's right._

_How about tonight I buy the dinner? My treat? I hope I get to see you later on, have a great day!_  
_Finn_

He admired the note and hoped it would be enough to make up for his stupid mouth. His handwriting was atrocious and he hoped that she would be able to read his messy scrawl; sometimes his professors gave him a hard time for his handwriting on exams. But hey, it wasn't _his_ fault that his hands were so big it was hard to hold a tiny pen in his giant mitts.

With a sigh and a prayer, he placed the note down on the kitchen table before exiting the apartment, hoping it would be enough to salvage his already struggling relationship with his new roommate.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At around 4pm, Finn returned to the apartment after the conclusion of his Film class, hoping to relax for a few hours before he had to be at a late football practice. It was only the fourth full day of classes and he already wanted this semester to be over; it would be a perfect world if all he had to do was go to football practice and TKE meetings, but no, school just had to be _so damn important_. But as he entered his apartment, a heavenly aroma wafted into his nostrils and permeated the kitchen and living room area.

Cookies. Someone in this apartment was baking _cookies_.

Calling out Rachel's name, he was met with nothing but silence as he poked his head around the apartment in search for his roommate. She had been on his mind all day, and he hoped that she'd read the note he left her. Frowning lightly when his search came up empty, he entered the kitchen to grab a snack when something on the kitchen table caught his eye.

It was a plate of fresh-baked sugar cookies, all cut into the shapes of stars of various sizes. Pink frosting decorated the tops of them individually, and he realized that they were spelling out a message: "I'm Sorry." There was even a tiny cookie star for the apostrophe. He picked up that one first and popped it into his mouth. His eyes almost rolled back into his skull when he realized how soft and chewy they were. They were fucking _amazing_. How did she know these kinds of cookies were his favorite? Was she some kind of psychic or something?

As he popped another one into his mouth, he couldn't resist a small smile that pulled at his lips as he indulged in the sugary treats. She had baked him _cookies_. His new roommate, the never-ending puzzle that was Rachel Berry, only continued to grow more complex with time. She had baked him real, genuine, and _delicious_, "I'm Sorry" cookies.

First dinner, now baked goods? She was going to wind up spoiling him with food.

A small piece of pink paper stuck out from under the plate, and Finn realized that she had left him a note as well. He quickly unfolded it and read it's contents as he continued to inhale the delicious treats. This girl could seriously _bake_.

_Dear Finn,_  
_I am horribly ashamed of my actions from last night. It is not you who needs to apologize, but me, for my ridiculous and juvenile behavior. I hope these cookies express my deepest regrets for storming out on our lovely conversation, and I would be delighted if we could have dinner together tonight to make up for yesterday. (I am a vegetarian, though, so I do not eat meat.)_

_I have gone into town to purchase a new bed. I will see you later tonight!_

_Rachel*_

He grinned at the tiny gold star that was scribbled next to her name as he popped another sugary sweet cookie into his mouth. She was a vegetarian, huh? So what, did she only eat vegetables? What was he going to buy someone who only ate rabbit food? He contemplated this as he finished off half the plate of "I'm Sorry" cookies, licking the sugar and frosting off of his fingertips greedily.

He must have reread her note about five times in a row before a loud crash outside of his apartment door alerted him to the presence of the baker of these fine treats. Rachel was struggling with keeping the door open while she dragged a long cardboard box into the apartment, letting it drag across the floor. It looked ridiculously heavy, and he wondered how she was even able to get it up the stairs.

"Hey, let me help you with that!" He said as he rushed over to her, the cookie crumbling in his mouth while he tried to talk and chew at the same time. He helped her drag the long rectangular box into the living room, where she plopped it down in the hallway, wiping sweat away from her forehead. "What the hell is in this thing, Rachel? Concrete bricks?" She fanned herself with her hands for a minute before answering out of breath.

"This. . .is my new bed-frame." Panting heavily, she pointed to the hallway, still out of breath. "The mattresses are out by my car still." She started to play with her fingers nervously as he noticed the sweat dripping down her forehead. She shot him a timid look while he tossed her a cold bottle of water from the fridge. "Do you think you can help me get them upstairs? The man tied them to the roof of my car and I can't reach that high."

"Of course! You know, I was wondering when you were going to buy one of these. You can't sleep on the couch for the entire semester." He was trying to be lighthearted but she froze in her tracks, a deep frown creasing her brow.

"You know about that? But I stayed up until 1am to make sure you were asleep!"

He chuckled lightly, trying to calm her down. "Rachel, it's okay. I really don't mind. I'm sure you had a better night's sleep than I did on my lumpy old bed from home. That couch is _plush_."

She looked away from him quickly, wiping some sweat off of her forehead, but he could a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Yeah, it was pretty comfortable, but I got myself a new bed now and I'm ready to just put it all together and move on." Move on? What did that mean? But he had no time to contemplate her words, because she immediately returned to her task and walked out of the apartment, towards her car to retrieve her mattresses. His legs started to carry him outside before he even realized what he was doing.

He helped her remove the mattresses from the hood of her car and he looked at them in disbelief. How were they going to get these things up the stairs? Of course she'd bought a full size bed- the box-spring and the frame looked ridiculously large compared to his tiny roommate, and he wondered why she would need such a big bed anyway. But he wasn't going to make her try to carry this load all by herself; what had she been thinking? What would have happened if he hadn't been here to help? The box spring was one thing, but that mattress looked _heavy_. He saw her try to tip it over on it's side to lift it, and he stopped her immediately.

"Maybe I should call one of my frat brothers to help, I don't want you to hurt yourself." His comment lit a determined fire in her eyes and he was rather intimidated by the intensity he saw shining back at him.

"I'm stronger than I look, Finn. Are you going to help me or not?" Whoa, she sure could be scary. . .

"Yeah, sure." And he shut up after that, not wanting to make her angry. He had a feeling that she was a force to be reckoned with when angry, something he did not want to witness first-hand.

As a team, they maneuvered the mattress up the stairs of the apartment, trying their hardest not to bump into anything or fall. It turned out she was good at giving directions, and he'd made it to the apartment with only a stubbed toe from the sidewalk and a bruised elbow from when Rachel had almost tripped up the stairs.

Mission Accomplished.

The box-spring was much lighter, and before long, they had loaded all of the pieces of her new bed into the apartment. He helped her drag everything into her room, where she immediately cracked open the long cardboard box and started to read the instructions on how to put the frame together. Her face scrunched up into a look of intense concentration and Finn almost laughed. He stood in the room awkwardly for a minute while she started her new task, before remembering his promise from earlier that day.

"So I'm going to order us some dinner, is that okay?" She looked up from the instruction booklet and the same look of intensity was etched into her face, but she nodded at him.

"That would be delightful, do you eat Greek food? I have a craving for falafel." A falafel? What the hell is that?

"Um, I don't think I've ever had Greek food before. And what is a fa-fluffy?" The intimidating look melted away from her face as she broke out into an eruption of laughter, almost holding her sides while she dropped the instruction booklet to the floor. "What?" No girl had ever laughed like that around him before and he felt heat rising to his cheeks in embarrassment. He hated sounding stupid and he felt like she was laughing at him.

"No, it's nothing. Your childlike wonder is incredibly endearing, that's all." OK, whatever _that_ meant. . . "How much time do you have before football?" He looked at his watch and frowned.

"It's almost 5, I have to be there at 7." She clapped and stood up from the floor, smoothing out her skirt and grabbing her phone.

"Well then, let's get us some Greek food! Your treat, right? I will introduce you to the delicacy known as a falafel, and we'll have plenty of time to chat before you have to go off to practice!" Dialing the pink bedazzled phone she pulled out of her bag, Finn stood in Rachel's bedroom feeling a bit weird. Who _was _this girl? Her moods changed at the drop of a hat, she used words he couldn't even begin to understand, and she continued to leave him speechless at every turn. He didn't even know what the falafel-thing _was_, but he was willing to try it just because Rachel had said so.

And she didn't think he was stupid. He didn't even know what to make of _that_.

Her voice snapped him out of his semi-trance. "Finn, do you eat onions?"

"Oh, hell no!"

"No onions on either, please, and the tahini sauce on the side. Yes, thank you, have a wonderful evening!" She hung up the phone and smiled brilliantly at him before returning to the task of putting her bed frame together. He took a second to look around her room and noticed the various Broadway playbills adorning the walls, some of them old, some of them brand new. She had quite the collection.

"How often do you go to New York?" One of his life's goals was to visit New York City one day, but it appeared that Rachel had been there many times. She lifted her head up from her project and grinned.

"I've been there every summer since I was twelve. My dads take me every year." Dads? As in she had more than one? Her eyes suddenly grew very sad and she returned to her task without another word. He felt awkward again, like she was leaving him hanging with every word that came out of her mouth. He watched as she clumsily tried to connect two pieces that were being very stubborn.

"Do you need help with that?" She looked up with a labored sigh and frowned.

"Finn, honestly, you've done enough. It would be taking advantage of your kindness to ask for more aid, and I can't afford to keep buying you dinner; you are a _healthy_ eater." He shrugged his shoulders and dropped to the floor, crossing his legs and plucking the instructions out of her hands.

"It's no big deal. And you don't have to keep paying me back and stuff, I do it because I want to." With his head buried in the instructions, he couldn't see the broad smile that was directed solely at him, and the small tear that slid down her cheek went completely unnoticed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

An hour later, they were stuffed with falafel, (who knew that balls of fried chick peas could taste so good?), and about half-way done with the frame that would just not fit together. Finn wasn't the sharpest tack in the box but he was good at building things, and not even he could figure out the stupid instructions. And Rachel had the vocabulary of a professor and yet she was stumped as well.

"So this piece is supposed to fit in here, and stretch across the frame diagonally." Rachel bit her lip in concentration as Finn tried to make the piece fit in where it was supposed to. The metal piece was slightly bent in the corner, and he was afraid it wouldn't fit and they had sold her a bad frame.

"It's not fitting Rachel, I can't seem to wedge it in." He sighed, exhausted from the exertion of energy when he still had to go to football practice later that night. "Can I ask you something?" He knew it kind of wasn't his place, but he had to ask her and get this question off his chest while he was feeling bold and frustrated. She nodded, distracted by the task at hand and he continued. "Why did you need to buy a new bed anyway?"

Her head shot up from the paper she was reading and she looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights of incoming traffic. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Remember your TA, Jesse St. James?" She winced when the name left her lips and he just nodded while she gathered her thoughts. "He was my boyfriend. Up until a few weeks ago, we were supposed to have lived together this semester, so I wouldn't have needed a bed at all."

His mouth suddenly felt very dry as he took in the demeanor of the girl in front of him. "What happened?" The words rolled off of his parched tongue and his heart started to beat very fast. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like her response.

"I was in New York, on my yearly vacation with my dads when one of them had an emergency at his office and had to return home to Ohio early. Instead of staying with them, I came back to school early, to spend some more time with Jesse before our hectic semesters started. I knew he was going to be busy in the grad program, and he'd stayed here over the summer to teach theater workshops, so the apartment was supposed to be ready for me." She scoffed as bitterness entered her tone, "And then I show up, at the place where we're supposed to _live together_, only to find him in bed with another girl." He could feel a bit of bile rush into his mouth as the puzzle pieces started to fit together. He looked down at the two pieces of the frame that refused to fit and used every ounce of strength in his body to snap them into place. The loud clang of metal on metal filled the room, and Rachel looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. He sounds like a total tool." He knew something had been off about that cheating punk and now he knew the truth. He was the reason that Rachel had been sleeping on couches, homeless.

"The worst part was that I loved him! I truly did. He was my first boyfriend, ever. When I got into OSU, and auditioned for my first show, he was there, running the meeting. He approached me, and gave me my first starring role. It was heaven; I thought he was so perfect for me, you know? We both loved the theater and music and we both had ambitions for stardom. I though he was my perfect match, but I couldn't have been more wrong." She started to cry then, and Finn felt a familiar pain ache deep within his chest as her words echoed in his head. But with a small sniffle, she lifted her head up high. "But no more! Rachel Berry will never cry over another man, ever. I won't allow it. Some men are just not to be trusted, _at all_."

Puffing out his chest in in indignation, he was ready to defend his own honor. "I can be trusted." An eyebrow lifted suspiciously and she scoffed lightly.

"Oh yeah, Mr. Quarterback-frat brother? I might not be a part of that scene, but don't think I haven't heard about your exploits, Finn. I wouldn't say that you're a womanizer or anything, but your reputation precedes you." He frowned at her then, feeling raw. Just because he had fun with the ladies didn't mean he was an untrustworthy cheater.

"Well, you're not the only one who's been cheated on." He left that hanging and witnessed her reaction; sympathy entered her eyes and he remembered why he didn't tell anyone this story. But she had confided in him, and he had to prove to her that he could be trusted as well. "When I was in high school, my very first, and only, girlfriend cheated on me and got knocked up. She spent the better part of the year making me think it was mine when we hadn't even had sex." The bitter pain that accompanied his memories of high school returned and he felt more open and vulnerable than he'd ever been with another person. "I found out, of course, that it wasn't mine, but still. After that I just couldn't trust girls anymore, and I haven't had a real girlfriend since. But I still love getting laid, and theres nothing wrong with that." He looked up at her, daring her to say something against his lifestyle, but she just nodded sadly.

"Look at us. I don't trust boys and you don't trust girls." She said without humor and he nodded solemnly. "But I trust you." Her voice was low and their eyes met for a moment, making his heart beat erratic and strong. From the minute he'd met this girl, this Rachel Berry, he knew that she'd been different, but he couldn't tell how. Now he knew; she was different because she could actually be trusted. He could feel it in his bones.

"I trust you too." His voice was as low as hers, but even more intense because he_ felt _very intense at the moment. He'd never been willing to open himself up to a girl since he was sixteen, and it felt good to know that Rachel was trustworthy. They had been through the same kind of pain; they could relate to the feeling of betrayal, the harsh sting of loss. Their eyes were still locked together but he couldn't look away. He never thought he would be able to trust a girl ever again, and here he was pouring out his guts to this chick like it was nothing.

In complete silence, they continued putting the bed frame together. The silence wasn't awkward; it wasn't strained or uncomfortable in any way. It was simple, and easy; they didn't need words in that moment, just the other person's company. They were like kindred spirits in that moment; having experienced the same pain, they instinctively knew that the other person could be trusted, and that was enough. Words weren't needed.

Finn checked his watch as they were putting together the final touches on the frame. When it was finally completed he helped her flip it over and put the box-spring and mattress on. At a quarter to seven, exactly when he'd wanted to leave, the two roommates stood and admired their handiwork together in a peaceful silence. He watched with a smile as she jumped onto her new bed like a child, falling backwards and sinking into the material. Her skirt kind of flew up mid-jump and he could feel the blush rise on his cheeks when he saw her polka-dot panties.

Wait, since when did chicks make him blush?

"Honestly, Finn, I can't thank you enough. I never could have done any of this without you." She didn't need to elaborate, he knew what she'd meant. If it hadn't been for their mutual acquaintance of Kurt Hummel and Panda's expulsion, she might still be sleeping on the couches at the Student Union Building.

"There's no need to thank me, Rachie B. I'll see you later tonight maybe." She waved at him enthusiastically and he felt a goofy grin form on his face as he gathered his equipment and left his apartment. His conversation with Rachel was the only thing on his mind as he drove over to the football field.

How could anyone even_ think_ about cheating on a sweet girl like Rachel? She was honest, kind, and non-judgmental. She had awesome baking skills and the voice of an angel. Plus, she was pretty. Like,_ really_ pretty. And he knew he could trust her, he could feel it in his bones.

With a wide smile, he realized that living with Rachel might just be the best thing to ever happen to him.

This was going to be a great year.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

The roommates have bonded. Now the UST can commence!

Until Next Time. . . * sings* Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	4. Paper Thin Walls

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Thank you to those who gave me information on college football/OSU ! I changed around chapter one so they could play Michigan later on in the semester. (Oh and BTW, the title of this chapter is also a Modest Mouse song, you should check it out!)

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Four: Paper Thin Walls**

Finn exited the lecture hall already feeling frustrated, even though his hectic day was far from over. He had to spend all of ATA clenching his fists under his desk so he wouldn't be tempted to run to the front of the classroom and punch the fuck out of his cheating, lying TA, Jesse. Just the thought of him cheating on Rachel was enough to get his blood boiling, and he couldn't wipe the agitated sneer off of his face throughout the entire class when he thought of what Jesse had done to Rachel.

But it would do no good to resort to physical violence in a classroom. It's not like the guy had cheated on _him_, and it wasn't his place to be beating up his roommate's ex-boyfriends based solely on principle. Besides, Jesse was probably the guy who was going to be grading his papers and tests, so he couldn't make enemies with the person in charge of his grades. But that didn't mean he still couldn't be angry. He had a vendetta against cheaters if any kind; he couldn't help it.

Sauntering idly across campus, he was about halfway to the humanities building for sociology, when he realized that he hadn't done the reading for the class. Professor Sylvester was the most intimidating woman, and professor, that he'd ever met, and he found himself feeling anxious about her wrath if she found out he hadn't done the homework. When he realized that the assignment had been a written analysis of chapter one from his extremely large textbook, it felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest, it was beating so hard. There was no way he was going to get the reading done and write up an analysis in under 15 minutes, and he couldn't just show up to class empty handed. His scholarship was on the line; he couldn't afford any bad marks on homework or projects because he needed to save his margin of error for the exams and papers. To Finn, every little grade counted, and this missing assignment was officially freaking him out.

A very tempting thought occurred to him. Maybe he should just drop the class. He didn't really _need_ sociology, and Professor Sylvester was too intimidating to try to go up against.

So instead of facing the class and the demonic professor from hell, he hopped in his car to go home and contemplate his options. He couldn't return to sociology because of his fear of failing and not reaching his GPA of 2.75, but he needed to find another class to help him reach 15 credits. He'd received an email earlier that morning saying that Beginners Pottery was canceled tonight because his professor was having his personal work displayed in Cincy, so there was no point in staying on campus all day waiting for football practice. He needed some time to figure this out.

But something deep down was warning him that he was totally fucked.

The apartment was empty when he returned home, and he realized that he truly had no idea what Rachel's schedule was like during the day. Normally he was on campus all afternoon, then heading off to football practice or TKE meetings. It almost felt weird to be home during the day, but it was something he could get used to. Plopping his bag down next to his desk he shut the door and immediately went online to check out his options. He needed to find a new class quick. The deadline for the add/drop option was Friday and if he didn't choose by then he would be stuck in sociology for the rest of he semester.

Frowning as he logged in to the OSU website, he browsed through the choices that were still available and felt his hopes sink lower than he ever thought possible. There were very few choices left, and he'd taken most of the classes that were offered.

He gave up and collapsed onto his bed, feeling lazy and unproductive. What was he going to do about this class? He could always just drop it and go through the semester with only 12 credits, but that just seemed like a cop-out to him. He was already skimming by without a major; at this rate he'll never graduate.

But he was running out of options.

His alarm clock informed him that he had three whole hours before he had to be at football, so he took this time to relax and take a nap before getting ready for practice. It was the rare occasion when he had a whole afternoon off, and he was going to take advantage of it and get some well-needed rest. Right before he was about to fall asleep, he heard his roommate enter the apartment, but it didn't sound like she was alone. In fact, one of the voices sounded very familiar.

"Oh my _Gaga_, I cannot believe I am in Finn Hudson's house!" The bright voice of Kurt Hummel bled through the walls and Finn knew he wouldn't be leaving his room anytime soon. He had no problem feigning sleep while Rachel had her theater people over. Maybe he should lock the door? "Do you think he's here, I would love to say hi!" He could hear Kurt's flirty tone come closer to his room through the paper thin walls and Finn kind of wished he would have stayed on campus. This apartment was supposed to be his safe haven, away from the people who demanded his attention, and he wished he could just sink into his mattress and disappear. But Rachel's clear and melodic voice soothed his fears as it carried down the hall.

"Don't bother Kurt, he's not there. He has classes all afternoon. I normally don't see him until late at night." Breathing a deep sigh of relief into his pillow, he knew he had to stay quiet in order to avoid meeting the group of people in his apartment. All he had to do was ignore them, close his eyes, and fall asleep. He could already feel the strong pull of fatigue, and he was so close to the ignorant bliss of sleep he could almost feel himself falling. . .

But the voices of Rachel and her guests still carried from the living room where they were all gathered, probably to study, and their conversation had taken an interesting turn. Kurt sighed and he could hear people shuffling through papers. "I don't know how you can live with a boy so fine, Rachel. I would not know what to do with myself." His interest was piqued as he heard the giggling of girls.

"What's he like, Rachel? I don't even think I've seen him in person before." He heard Rachel sigh deeply and he was on full-alert, his previous nap completely forgotten. There was no need for sleep now, listening to this conversation was like drinking three shots of espresso. All at once.

"Here, Tina, I pulled up his Facebook picture on my Blackberry!" Kurt laughed while Finn waited patiently for Rachel's answer. He could hear Kurt and the other girl, Tina, laugh, while another voice chimed in. "Awh, white boy ain't so hot. He's got a nice smile, though." Kurt clucked his tongue in disapproval.

"Mercedes, you need to get your eyes checked, because I've been in the locker room with him before and he is _hotter than hot_. You don't even _know_." Oh man, he was changing in the shower stalls from now on. . .

"Guys, guys!" Finally, Rachel's voice chimed into the conversation. "Are we here to start our transposing project or are we going to talk about my roommate all day long?"

"Um. . .does our transposing project have rock-hard abs and a thousand-watt smile? I don't think so. I want to talk about_ Finn_. Now spill. Have you seen him naked yet?" Kurt was really starting to freak him out.

He could hear Rachel sputtering wildly and it took every ounce of his self-control not to laugh. "What? NO! I've lived here for _three days_, we've barely had the time to make each other's acquaintance! Kurt probably knows him better than I do."

"Nuh-uh, that boy shows you what he wants you to see. When he's on the field and at the frat, he's Mr. Popular, but when he isn't, that boy is a closed book. Very elusive, that Finn Hudson. I would love to be in your position and get to know him better." Elusive? What does _that_ mean? A closed book? Suddenly this conversation wasn't so interesting anymore. His stomach was churning with every word that came out of Kurt's mouth and he felt like he was being dissected by complete strangers. He had to invest in a dictionary if he was going to be eaves-dropping on Rachel and her friends.

"To be perfectly honest," Rachel's voice was shy and quiet as she took her time in gathering her thoughts. He was tempted to go put his ear up to the door so he could hear her better; listening in on private conversations was hard when your heart was pounding like a jackhammer and all the blood in your body had rushed to your head. But he stayed motionless on the bed, just listening, waiting for Rachel to continue. "He's truly one of the nicest gentleman I've ever met in my life. He's done nothing but make me feel welcome and we get along swimmingly. Now if you don't mind, I would really like to begin the project, I hate transposing in C-sharp major." He felt some of the anxiety ease from him as he relaxed into his bed again. She'd called him a _gentleman, _and didn't indulge anything about their conversation from the night before. He _knew_ that Rachel could be trusted; she wasn't like Kurt and those other girls out there. She was smart and focused and didn't giggle about boys and gossip behind people's backs.

But Kurt and these other girls did, apparently, because they wouldn't leave her alone. "Fine, then, answer us one question." The brassy voice of Mercedes was much louder than anyone elses and Finn had no problem hearing her. "Do you think he's hot?"

He shot up in bed, almost ruining his cover by dropping his cell phone on the floor, the dull thud echoing loudly in the small room. But the people in his living room were unaware as Rachel started to answer the question.

"Mercedes! I have to live with him! I cannot be thinking of my roommate as some kind of a sex object, that's just plain ludicrous!" Wait, so did that mean she _didn't_ think he was hot? That kind of really stung. . .

"Well, we're not asking you if you would have _sex_ with him, we just want to know if you think he's attractive." The softer voice of Tina was harder to hear, and he wondered if he should just go out there and end their conversation for good.

But he was too curious. What did Rachel truly think of him? Sure, he knew that girls liked him; they told him flat out that he had a great body and nice hair, but Rachel wasn't just any girl, she was his roommate. The person he split rent with. The only girl he'd trusted in years. What would she say?

Her sigh was long and labored but she eventually spoke, her voice so low he almost couldn't hear her through the thin walls. "Yes, he's attractive. He's _very_ attractive. I was so intimidated by how cute he was when we first met that I didn't speak to him throughout the entire tour of the house, in fear that I would say something that was, well, very _Rachel Berry-_esque." The group laughed, but he didn't feel like laughing. He didn't know _how_ to feel at the moment, Rachel's words had wiped all coherent thoughts out of his mind. "But nothing will ever happen, of course. He's my roommate and probably the _definition_ of hot and popular. And I'm a drama queen theater geek who transposes operettas in her free time. Forget it guys, I'm lucky enough to call him my friend; I will not indulge in frivolous fantasies that will never come to fruition. Now come on! We have to get started." The shuffling of papers and discussions on time signatures and arpeggios were all he could hear now, and it felt like he could finally breathe again.

It took him a few minuted to gather his thoughts together; so many emotions were coursing through him he couldn't even tell them all apart. He was stunned. Shocked. Floored. He wished his vocabulary was larger so he could think of other ways to describe how he felt in that moment; those other words didn't seem like it was enough to convey his inner turmoil. No wonder why she'd been so quiet that very first day! Rachel thought he was _good-looking_. No, wait, she had called him the _definition of hot!_

So why did it feel like he had been submerged in ice water? A lot of girls, and apparently gay guys, thought that he was hot; this wasn't new information. But the fact that Rachel thought he was cute was making his brain hurt, he was thinking about it so hard. He was in such shock he didn't even know what to do with himself. Should he go out there, and introduce himself to her other music friends? No way, they would know that he'd been privy to the conversation, and he couldn't let Rachel know he had heard her, it would make things awkward. Rachel had to live with him, see him everyday, and he didn't want things to be weird between them. Should he ignore them all, and wait until they left to emerge from his room? No, that seemed rude. If she going to be working on projects with these people he would have to get to know them eventually, and Kurt was his teammate, even though the flirting was a little bit much.

So he decided to go back to his original plan and take a nap, which was what he should have done in the first place. No more eavesdropping on roommates and their friends; he'd heard enough to last him the entire semester.

But as he fell asleep, he couldn't help thinking about Rachel, and the last thing he thought about before passing out, was that she was pretty hot too.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When he woke up an hour later, he was disoriented and confused about why he was sleeping in the middle of the day. But the events of that afternoon came rushing back to him in an instant after the voices from the living room carried down the hall. They all sounded like they were saying goodbye, and this was his last chance at meeting Rachel's friends.

He just had to play it cool and not let them know that he'd been privy to their conversation. That would be more than a little bit awkward. He turned on his swagger and charm and checked himself out in the mirror to make sure he looked like he had just been napping for the past hour and a half, before opening his door and stepping out into the hallway.

He was met with four pairs of very shocked, very embarrassed, eyes.

"Finn!" Rachel practically squeaked and he could have sworn that Kurt's mouth had been hanging open. "What are you doing here? I thought you had class all afternoon."

"Well I did, before I decided to drop sociology. Hey Kurt, what's up?" Kurt just nodded and waved, his mouth still puckered in a small "o" while the two girls he didn't know started poking each other in the arm. "Hi, I'm Finn." He stuck out his hand to the girls and they both shook it with huge smiles adorning their faces. He had to remember to be casual and feign ignorance.

"I'm Tina and this is Mercedes. We're in Advanced Music Theory with Rachel and Kurt. Did we bother you at all with our project?"

Shaking his head, he smiled at his guests while Rachel continued to look borderline horrified. "No way. I was sleeping the entire time, I didn't even know Rachel had people over." The look of panic melted away from Rachel's face as he eyed her in his periphery and he turned back to Rachel's friends with his "thousand-watt" smile burning bright. But Rachel's panicked voice demanded his attention.

"This is okay, right? I mean, we never discussed guests and they're only here to study, I didn't even think you would be home, I never wanted to bother you. . ." Rachel started to babble and he laughed, trying to break the tension.

"Slow down, Berry. It's alright for you to have people over; just don't go throwing any keggers without me knowing about it first." He winked at her and the smallest of blushes graced her features before he turned to retreat back into his bedroom. He didn't have to turn around to know that they were probably talking about him behind his back, so he kept walking until he reached his room, closing the door with a small click. Rachel's blushing face was the only thing on his mind.

What was he going to do about all of this? She was obviously still hurting over Jesse, and she'd told him last night that she had trust issues when it came to guys. But it's not like he was going to be asking her to the Homecoming gala either; Finn didn't date anymore, he _mingled_. She definitely didn't seem like the kind of girl who had slept around and had random sex with people either, so it's not like they would be hooking up anytime soon. Why was he even making this into a big deal? They were just friends. Just two attractive, single, completely platonic, no-sexual-chemistry-whatsoever, friends. Who shared a bathroom.

So why didn't he feel satisfied?

Before he had a chance to do some real soul-searching, a rarity in the world of Finn Hudson, he heard a knock on his bedroom door as he continued to search the OSU website for other options. "Come in!" He swiveled around in his computer chair to find Rachel poking her head into his room, timidly. "Hey, Rachie B, what's crackin'?"

Shrugging her shoulders, he stared at her while she took in her surroundings. Normally girls didn't go into his room unless they were going to do the nasty, so it was a bit weird seeing Rachel in his bedroom, observing the Rush and Journey posters like they were fine art. "Nothing much, I was wondering what you meant before about dropping Sociology. I'm a bit worried about you."

"Worried? Why?" Her brow furrowed before she walked over to the drum kit in the corner, tapping the cymbal with her perfectly manicured fingernails.

"Well, when we met you gave me the impression that you were desperate to find a major, and now you're dropping a class. I know we haven't been living together long, but it doesn't seem like you to just give up on something."

Turning round to face the computer again, he ran his hand over his face in frustration. This semester was supposed to be perfect and now it was falling apart around him. But it felt nice to talk things out with Rachel. At least there was someone out there who cared if he graduated or not, besides his mother. "I don't know, I was thinking of replacing it with a different class, but I can't find anything decent that I haven't already taken. I'm starting to get desperate." A slight motion brushed past his shoulder and he turned his head to find Rachel leaning over him, peering at the monitor and looking at his options with him. The shock was quickly replaced with dirty thoughts, as he now had the perfect view of Rachel's cleavage in her low cut frilly top. When she went to speak he turned his head around quickly, and tried to make it look like he hadn't just been checking out her rack.

"How about Acting 1?" She pointed at the last option on the screen, under the category "Theatre Arts," and he frowned.

"Acting?"

"Yeah, I remember taking Acting 1 during the first semester of freshman year. Those were the good times." She smiled fondly, lost in her memories of acting class as he contemplated his options. "And you're taking ATA right? Professor Schuester teaches Acting 1 as well, the lazy underachiever." She grumbled and the idea of acting was bouncing around in his head. "What's wrong?" Her concerned voice pulled him out of his reverie and he struggled to explain.

"Nothing, it's just that I don't know the first thing about acting. I don't think it's for me." She scoffed loudly and he had to do a double-take at the severe look on her face. "What?"

"You're a better actor than you think, Hudson." Whoa, she'd never called him that before.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You weren't sleeping all afternoon. I knew you were here the entire time, and I _know_ you heard our conversation."

Busted.

It felt like he'd been punched in the gut; all the air flew out of him in a whoosh and he was struggling to breathe normally. "How did you know I was even here? You told Kurt I was out!"

"Because you, Finn, are a novice at acting, while I am a professional. I noticed every flaw. First of all, your shoes were by the front door, where you always leave them when you enter the house. Second, your door was closed, and it's only ever closed when you're home. And third, I heard your cell phone drop on the floor from the living room; these walls are truly paper thin."

He sat at his computer chair, absorbing all the information spewing from Rachel's mouth but not really understanding what was going on around him. "So you said all that stuff about me _knowing_ that I was listening to your conversation?"

"I am nothing if not honest, Finn. I expect the same thing from everyone else as well. But don't deign to flatter yourself. I have no intentions of pursuing any romantic relationship with you whatsoever. You just happen to be a cutie-pie, and we live together. _That's it_." Crossing her hands over her chest, she looked like she could kick some serious ass and take names. She sure was fiery when she was bossy. But he couldn't explain why his heart suddenly lurched in his chest with her dismissive words. He ignored the small ache and pushed forward.

"Well then, if you're going to be honest, then I will too." He took a deep breath and watched as Rachel's eyes grew to the size of saucers, wide and unbelieving. "I think you're really pretty, even though you use big words that I can't understand sometimes. And I know I can trust you, so you're probably the only girl in the world besides my mother who can say that. And even though people think I'm Mr. Popular, I'm really just Finn, and there's nothing wrong with being a theatre geek, I might be on my way to becoming one too." The more he thought about acting, the more intrigued he became. He liked Dean Schuester, and at least in Acting he wouldn't have to deal with Jesse; TA's were used mainly for lecture classes and acting was intensive. When he looked up to see Rachel's reaction to his honesty, he was met with the widest, most brightest smile he'd ever seen. Geez, if he had a thousand-watt smile, Rachel had a _billion_-watt smile, he was sure of it. "You would help me, right?"

"With what?"

"Acting. Music Theory. ATA. You're the queen of the theatre department, you've got to be able to help a fellow theatre person out."

"Thespian." Whoa, Rachel swung both ways?

"Huh?"

"A Thespian is a word to describe someone who's a part of the theater community." Oh, that made much more sense. "And It would be my honor to help you Finn, but only if you help me out with one thing in return."

"Sure Rachel, whatever you want."

Hesitating slightly, she walked over to the drum kit again, facing away from him and tapping her nails on the snare, lightly. "I want you to help me meet new people."

"Huh?" He realized that he said that word_ a lot _when he was around her.

"Well, most of the people I hung out with were theater people-"

"Thespians." He interrupted and he could hear her giggle slightly.

"Exactly, _thespians_, and they were basically all Jesse's friends. They know about what happened between us, and I don't really feel welcome in their little clique anymore. Thank goodness I still have my friends from the music department, but they have their own busy schedules and I don't want to bother them too much. Besides, I need help with my social skills; I need to get out more. Meet new people." She finally turned around to face him and he could see the desperation, and the loneliness in her eyes. "So what do you say, Finn, do we have a deal? I'll help you with your classes if you help me become socially adequate?" She stuck her hand out to him and he had to smile at his little firecracker of a roommate. The more he learned about her, the more intrigued he was about this shy, strong, talented, yet scared, diva. He grabbed her hand and was shocked at how forceful her grip was.

"You've got it, Rachel. It's a deal."

"Great, so Acting 1 it is, then?" He turned around to face the monitor again as he looked at the course description. He balked when he noticed the time.

"9-11:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays?" Great, there goes his lazy mornings free of obligation. At least for two days out of his already busy week. "I don't think I can wake up that early." He heard Rachel scoffing loudly beside him as she wrote down the course number and ID code for the class.

"Well maybe this is a good thing. It will allow you to develop a healthy sleep schedule and boost your energy levels. Don't let laziness get in the way of something that could be your calling. For an amateur, you did a really good job out there with my friends. They were truly clueless that you'd been privy to the conversation; Kurt would die of humiliation if he knew the truth." She handed him the slip of paper with a smile and started to back out of his bedroom. "Oh, and nice drum set by the way. I didn't know you played."

"Yeah, been playing since I was a little kid. Maybe we could jam sometime? I'll show you my sweet drummer skills while you can go all Hayley Williams on the apartment complex. We'll be the most popular neighbors _ever_." Injecting some sarcasm into the last bit, he watched as Rachel's face lit up in excitement.

"That would be marvelous, Finn. I'm off to the theatre to work on my monologue, I'll see you later tonight. Don't forget to sign up for acting!" She exited the room and a few minutes later, the apartment was empty, save for Finn. He spent the next half hour catching up on homework and reading before heading off to practice.

But instead of making a right turn to head to the football field, he made a left and drove to the Registrar's Office on the far end of campus.

Goodbye Sociology, hello Acting 1.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Damn, I love this story.

Until next time... *sings* Don't Stop... Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	5. Comfort Zone

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and Fox. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Happy Labor Day Weekend American Gleeks! Good luck to those of you who are returning to school!

**Close Quarters****  
****Chapter Five: Comfort Zone**

"So how is your new roommate? Do you get along? Are you in the same classes? Is he sloppy like your last roommate?" The energetic voice of Finn's mother, Carole, was floating throughout his car as he drove from the football stadium back to his apartment after a long night of practice. His first full week of school had been so hectic, that he hadn't had the chance to call her since before classes had started. When he checked his phone on the way out of the locker room, his mother's panicked message was waiting for him. Even though it was way after ten pm, he called her back immediately, apologizing profusely for the lack of calls and giving her the run-down of his semester so far.

He could be such a mommas boy sometimes.

Laughing as he pulled into his apartment complex, he parked by his building and wondered how he was going to explain this. "Well, Mom, it turns out that my new roommate is a girl," he could have sworn he heard a gasp as he continued on, "and she's, like, more than a little neat. She's obsessed with cleaning." It was true; the bathroom had never smelled nicer and the apartment looked spotless most of the time. "She's a nice girl, her name is Rachel." There was silence on the other end and for a minute he thought that maybe his phone had dropped the call. "Mom, you still there?"

"You're living with a girl?" He frowned at the concerned, motherly tone that reminded him of his childhood and his lazy teenage years. "Is she your girlfriend? Are you dating again?" His mother was one of the few people who knew about his past betrayal and was all-too-aware of her son's "non-dating" lifestyle. It was a good thing this was a phone conversation or else she would have seen the strong blush that burned his face with embarrassment.

"No, Mom. She's just a girl who I met through one of my teammates. We're friends." He realized that he was just sitting in his parked car, talking to his mother instead of going inside the house. But this wasn't the kind of conversation he should be having inside anyway, so he stayed put until his mom was finished. "She's actually helping me with school and stuff." Taking a deep breath, he knew that his mother was going to be surprised with this news. "I've started taking acting classes."

"What?" Here it comes. . . "But what about Football?"

Scoffing loudly, he didn't care if he had an attitude with his mother; he knew she would react like this. His mother had always known that football was going to be his only shot at an education, and she was dead-set on making sure it took him all the way. "Football is football, Mom. I'm not going to quit just because I have acting class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I can do both; I really liked the class." He was being completely honest with her; he had truly enjoyed his first acting class yesterday morning. Sure, it had been early, and he'd had about three cups of coffee on his way to the theater, but there was _something_ about that class that had piqued his interest. Professor Schuester was a lot more interesting when he was working with a smaller group of students, and he'd engaged them in some awesome exercises where they had to pretend to be inanimate objects. He'd been a chair.

But he could still hear the disappointment in his mother's tone, and he could tell that she wasn't a fan of his decision. "Listen honey, I know you may like acting now, but I'm afraid that this might be too big of a distraction for you in the long run. Football must be your number one priority, and acting might take up time you could be spending at practice." His frown only became deeper and more pronounced as he listened to his mother's dismissal of his choices. He knew she was just concerned about his scholarship, he was too; just the thought of losing his free ride kept him up at night. But she could at least be a little bit supportive of his choice in a major. It was kind of a big deal.

Instead of fighting with her about this though, he decided to end the conversation. Ultimately, the choice came down to him, and if he was going to take theater classes, it was his decision. They were easy, and interesting; so much better than falling asleep at a desk or scribbling down a lecture verbatim. "You don't have anything to worry about, Mom. Nothing is going to distract me from football, okay? It's just one acting class; not the end of the world." He finally got out of his car and collected his gear from the trunk, balancing the cell phone on his ear while he climbed the stairs. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay honey. Good luck tomorrow! I'll be watching on ESPN 2!" They said their goodbyes and Finn hung up the phone, feeling anxious about his conversation with his mom. As enthusiastic as his mother was about his football career, he wished that she cared just a little bit more about his acting classes. What would she say if she found out that he was seriously considering it as a major? He was already taking two classes from the theater department, which was more than what he could say for any other subject. And he was actually enjoying them; there weren't any formulas to memorize or equations to remember. He'd learned that acting was all about emotion and movement; just listening to Professor Schuester explain the goals of yesterday's exercise was inspiring. He didn't know how to explain it; he just felt different about himself during those two and a half hours of acting class. He felt like he could be anybody, or anything. It was liberating and exciting all at once.

His mother should know better! Finn would never sacrifice his scholarship for something trivial like an acting class; it wasn't like he was dropping out of school to pursue a movie career or anything like that. He was so distracted by his mother's dismissal, that he walked straight past Rachel on the couch (who had turned around to say hello), and went right to his room, slamming the door behind him. He dropped his gear on the floor and fell backwards onto his bed, exhausted and frustrated. Closing his eyes, he couldn't shut out his mother's patronizing tone, and the word "distraction" kept popping up in his head without preamble. In fact, he was going to need a distraction to keep him from thinking about his mom's phone call, so instead of going to sleep he got up and went into the living room, hoping to watch some TV. Rachel was on the couch with a bunch of papers spread around, and when she saw Finn she rushed to clear off a space for him to sit.

"Finn! Hey, is everything alright?" The concern in her eyes was making him feel guilty for his previous behavior, and it was nice to know that _someone_ cared about his feelings. But it stung that his mother was not one of those people. He plopped down next to her on the couch and sunk into the plushy cushions, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

"Uh, yeah. Everything is fine." He said it dismissively, but she pressed the issue.

"Your novice acting is making my eyes hurt. Tell me what's wrong. I'm a really good listener." He opened an eye and directed it towards her, noticing that she put away all of the work she'd been doing so her attention was focused solely on him. Opening the other eye, he shrugged and took his time in divulging his problems. He wasn't the kind of guy who really talked about his feelings, especially with other people. But Rachel, she wasn't _like_ other people. She looked like she genuinely cared about his problems and truly wanted to help him. So he sat up and tried his best to explain.

"I think my mom thinks I'm still the dumb, lazy teenager I was in high school." He looked up at his roommate for her response, but her face was blank and she urged him to continue. "I was never a good student, and before I got my scholarship I never even thought I would be able to get into college. Now that I'm here, all my mom cares about is football. I told her about Acting 1 and she called it a _distraction_." The word left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Do _you_ think it's a distraction?" Her voice was soft and non-judgmental as he contemplated her question.

"No. I don't think it is. In fact, I really liked the first class." The smile she gave him next was so wide he thought her face would split in half. "But now I'm not so sure. I was seriously thinking about making it my major, but now I don't know anymore."

"Well, Finn, I might be a bit biased, being a theater major myself, but would you like to hear my advice?" Nodding to himself, he let his head fall backward on the couch so that he was staring at the ceiling. "As concerned as your mother is about football, I think she's just trying to make sure you preserve your scholarship. Ultimately, the choice of a major falls on you. You're the one who has to take the classes, and become involved in the theater department. You're the one who has to decide what to do with your degree. The responsibility is yours, and yours alone. I think acting is a good choice for you, but not because you don't have to write papers or take notes; I think you could be an amazing actor if you worked on it. You're very talented; I should know, I'm talented too."

He continued to stare at the ceiling while Rachel spewed out her advice, knowing deep down that what she was saying was true. It was his choice, and his alone. Looking over at Rachel, she was waiting to hear his reaction, and he shot her the smallest of smiles while lifting his head up and turning to face her. She thought he was talented?

"You think I'm talented?" Was that a blush on her cheeks? All of a sudden she started to talk really _fast_.

"Well, I know that you can play the drums, and while your acting skills are choppy I definitely see room for improvement. Plus, I heard you singing in the shower the other day. Your voice is quite impressive for someone who hasn't received any vocal training." Well, he was sure she had complimented him in _some way_ or another. He was a little surprised that she'd heard him singing; these paper thin walls were going to ruin any sense of privacy he had in this apartment.

A bit of awkward silence filled the room as Finn thought about Rachel's advice. She was right; it was _his_ choice to make, and he was going to continue his acting classes, no matter what his mother said. He decided to change the subject now, because he didn't want to focus on his problems all night long.

"So what are you working on, Rachel? No plans for tonight?" Shooting him an incredulous look, she picked up her papers and continued working, scoffing a bit under her breath.

"Plans? Rachel Berry never has plans on a Friday night. I'm doing some homework right now." She looked a bit hurt, and he wondered if his question had offended her. "What about you Mr. Quarterback? Don't you have a kegger to get to?" He frowned at her tone and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well, there are a couple of parties that I was invited to, but I'm not going out tonight."

"Why not?" She didn't look up from her work and he frowned, knowing that he'd probably hurt her feelings. She definitely wasn't the kind of girl who went out to parties and got trashed, but she still had friends, right?

"I have a football game tomorrow afternoon, and I have to be up pretty early for practice. It's a big game, we're playing Marshall." Finally, she looked up from her work and he could see the curiosity in her eyes.

"You have a game tomorrow?" She tapped her pen on her chin and his eyes trailed to her pouting lips. Seriously, she gave Angelina Jolie a run for her money with those lips.

"Yeah, at 3:30. It's a home game." She nodded and he wondered if she would come to see him play. Had she ever even been to a football game here? He hesitated to ask, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. "Are you coming?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes and almost dropped the pen in her hands. "Um, I've never been to a football game before." A-ha, he'd been right. Rachel didn't seem like the kind of girl who enjoyed football, but part of him kind of really wanted her to be there. He couldn't explain it, he just wanted to know that she was going.

"So, there's always a first time for everything." She fidgeted a little bit, and he could tell that he was pushing her out of her comfort zone. But that was okay, every once in a while. "It would be cool, to know that I had a friend in the crowd. Cheering me on."

"Don't you have cheerleaders for that kind of stuff?"

"Well, yeah, but this is different." How could he explain himself without sounding like a doofus? "The people come to the games to watch Finn Hudson, _the quarterback_, you know? They only care about me on the field; throwing good passes and calling good plays. It's nice to know that someone is there to watch me, Finn Hudson,_ the dude_. The guy who leaves his shoes in the kitchen and eats too much ramen noodles." Their eyes locked and for a minute, he could tell that she really understood his request. He wasn't asking her for much, just a little support from the one person he could truly call a friend. The one person who never expected anything from him. In fact, Rachel could be considered the best friend he'd ever had. They hadn't known each other very long, but he felt more comfortable with her than any guy he'd ever been buddies with. It felt like he could tell her anything, and he never had to worry about being judged or ridiculed. "So will you come? There's going to be a crazy after-party at the TKE house and you can tag along with me if you want. I'll keep my promise and introduce you to some new people. What do you say?"

It took almost a full minute for her to answer him, and for a second he thought she was going to say no. Maybe he was pushing her too far out of her comfort zone? Maybe she wasn't ready for football games and frat parties?

But eventually her mask of contemplation morphed into an expression of contentment and she nodded vigorously as her smile became blinding. "That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I'm in."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He winked at himself in the mirror, knowing that he looked his best as he waited for Rachel to finish getting ready in her room. He was still riding the high he got from winning the game earlier that afternoon, and he knew that tonight was going to be fun. He had another victory under his belt for the season and Rachel had come to support him during the game. Now they were both headed out to the TKE house for a party, and Rachel was excited to meet new people.

"You almost ready, Rachie B?" He called out into the hallway, checking his watch with a frown. It was only about 10pm, but he wanted to get there before the kegs were tapped. These parties didn't really start until midnight, but he knew that Rachel wouldn't be able to last that long. Besides, they tended to get crowded and a bit rowdy, and he didn't want her to get caught up in any drama.

"Give me a minute! I must look flawless for my social debut!" He laughed at her from his room.

"Just make sure you dress a bit warmer than you did this afternoon. Wearing a skirt to a football stadium wasn't your best idea ever." He could hear her giggle from her bedroom and he checked himself out a final time before going out into the living room to wait for Rachel. He turned on the TV to ESPN2 where they were still talking about the OSU game. He heard his name being brought up a few times and he almost burst with pride. Football scouts watched these kinds of shows, and he was still hoping against hope that he would be drafted one day, and really be a football star like Brett Favre.

But he was pulled out of his childhood fantasies when Rachel entered the living room, and he had to stop himself from drooling all over himself and looking like a fool when he took in her appearance.

She looked. . . _amazing_. He couldn't even think of any other words to describe her, she looked flat-out hot. She was wearing a simple black and white polka-dot dress with a dark cardigan over it, but her hair was done up nicely and she was wearing the slightest bit of makeup. She looked beautiful, and he struggled to breathe regularly while she twirled for him and asked for his opinion.

"What do you think, Finn? Do I look appropriate enough for a frat party?" His mouth felt ridiculously dry as he gasped to find the words.

"You look _great_." Was all he could say with his parched tongue and he had to look away from her, lest he be caught staring. Since when was his roommate so fucking gorgeous? Sure, he thought she was hot and stuff, but this was different, this was a whole other level of pretty.

His heart started to pound painfully and he ignored it, knowing that they had to get going. "Come on, let's go." He shut off the TV and opened the door for Rachel, blushing when she smiled at him and thanked him for his manners. What the hell was up with him tonight, he was acting like a straight-up chick! No girl ever made his heart pound or his mouth dry, and he actually felt nervous as they walked in silence to the frat house. It wasn't too far, but he didn't want to drive because he knew he would be drinking. He kept stealing glances at her and it took every ounce of self control to look away and avoid being caught. But he couldn't help himself, she just looked so nice.

When they approached the frat house, he immediately spotted the pledges who were collecting money for cups. He walked right past them and took two of them, passing one to Rachel. She shook her head and smiled. "No thank you, I don't drink."

Frowning as he put one back, he led her into the party. "Well what are you planning on doing all night long? Everyone is going to be trashed." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"I guess I'll just be observing my fellow peers in their natural habitat. Talking to the inebriated is fun. They say the most honest things." She followed him to the keg and he was suddenly pulled away from her by other members of the frat, all calling his name and demanding high fives and fist bumps. His companion was so tiny he could barely see her through the thick crowd, but he noticed that she had started talking with some sorority girls, so he didn't have to worry. Part of him didn't want to let her out of his sight though, he felt better when she was by his side. He frowned at the change of events; earlier tonight he'd been worried about _her_ comfort zone, now_ he_ was the one freaking out.

"Dude, who is that fine piece of ass you brought with you to the party? A new lady-friend?" The cocky, arrogant voice of his wide-receiver and fellow TKE member, Noah Puckerman, filled his senses as he clapped him on the shoulders, hard. Finn pounded back his beer quickly in order to fight the urge to punch him for referring to Rachel as "a fine piece of ass". Noah, or Puck, was the only other football player who was also in TKE, so he had to be civil and friendly no matter what. They were "brothers" after all, even though he used the term loosely. He suddenly felt very possessive of Rachel, and got someone to refill his beer immediately before pounding that one back, too. It had been a long week.

"She's my roommate, and her name is Rachel. She never comes out to parties and she wanted to tag along. So she came with _me_." He tried to over-emphasize the fact that she was _his_ guest, but Puck ignored it completely. Finn knew that he had his own sordid history with ladies, but Puck was a straight-up womanizer. He had a different girl in his bed every night, and he didn't discriminate at all. At least Finn _cared_ about the girls he slept with, just not enough to trust them or date them.

But Rachel was different. He didn't want her to become another notch in Puck's bedpost. She deserved better than that. And besides, she didn't date anyway, so what was he even worried about? Ignoring Puck, he wanted to keep drinking so all these weird feelings about Rachel would go away. That was it, just keep drinking. . .

About an hour and a half later, Finn was stumbling around the frat house, looking for Rachel. He had been involved in a massive Beer Pong tournament where he'd lost many things: he'd lost the game, he'd lost track of time, and he'd lost his roommate.

He poked his head into the many rooms of the frat house and couldn't find his tiny roommate in the polka dot dress anywhere. Right before he headed outside to see if she was in the backyard, he was approached by some familiar faces.

"Hi Finn!" The Monaco twins were standing directly in front of him, waiting for him to acknowledge them as he tried to walk round them. They were blocking his exit though, so he knew he had to at least talk to them. But it was hard when you were so drunk that the floor looked like the most inviting bed, ever. He needed to find Rachel and get home, quick. He was starting to feel sick.

"Hey." He slurred a bit and the two sorority girls looked at each other in shock as he pushed through them without another word, ignoring them completely. He could vaguely hear them grumbling behind him, but he didn't care, he had to find Rachel. Normally he would never pass up an opportunity to chat with the twins, but tonight was different. He had to find Rachel; it was the only thing that mattered.

Walking into the backyard, he spotted her immediately, sitting on a lawn chair and chatting with someone he couldn't see through the crowd. As he got closer to her, he picked up on her conversation and realized who she was talking to.

"So why don't you give me your number? I can give you a call and one of these nights you can hop aboard the Puckerman Express. Destination: Ecstasy." Finn had to resist the urge to throw up all over him as he approached his roommate and frat brother. Rachel laughed at Puck before spotting Finn in the crowd. He practically ran over to her when she'd spotted him, and he felt relieved that he had finally found her.

"Finn, I was just coming to find you! Your friend, Noah, is quite the charmer."

"Noah? Baby, call me Puck, you'll be screaming it later." Puck said with a salacious wink, and Finn felt like his blood had caught on fire, he was practically burning with anger. No one was allowed to talk to Rachel like that; she wasn't some sleazy chick! But she just laughed again before standing up and straightening out her dress.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Noah. I hope we can chat again soon."

"What, baby, no number? Nothing to remember you by?" OK, now he was pushing it. That was way more than Finn could handle and he felt like he was about to snap.

"Step off, Puckerman. She isn't interested." A protective arm wrapped around Rachel's shoulders as he brought her close to him. Her body was so warm and small as he felt her sharp intake of breath. He looked down at her face to see her staring up at him in shock as Puck sneered at him and walked away. "Come on, Rach. Let's go home. I drank way too much and I am not leaving you here alone with these wolves." She nodded softly as he led her out of the party with his arm still wrapped around her. He was drunk so he didn't care, but he wondered what Rachel thought about his behavior tonight. Whatever she was thinking, she didn't say anything about it, even after realizing that they were blocks away from the party and he was still holding her around the shoulders.

It felt nice. It felt _really_ nice. And she made no move to push him away.

"Are you feeling okay, Finn?" Her normally booming voice sounded very small as he led them through the streets back to the apartment. "How much have you had to drink?"

He sighed deeply, the night air doing wonders for his mental clarity. "Enough to know that I'm acting like an _idiot_." Instead of letting go of her though, he held her even closer to him. He took a deep breath of the crisp night air and the faint smell of apples wafted through his nostrils. He _loved_ apples. He needed to know where that scent was coming from! He stopped in his tracks and dropped his arm from her shoulders while she started to panic, grabbing him by the upper arms and trying to make eye contact with him.

"What? Finn? What is it? Are you going to vomit? Should I call an ambulance to get your stomach pumped?" He suddenly realized where the smell was coming from and without warning, he pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her while he buried his nose in her hair.

He took a deep inhale and his eyes almost rolled back into his head in pleasure.

She smelled like apples. No, wait, that wasn't enough. She smelled like _apple pie_; like cinnamon and spices and apple all mixed together into one amazing scent. He could hear her surprised little squeak but he continued to hold her on the sidewalk with his nose buried in her hair, sniffing her like a crazy person. "You smell amazing. Like, fucking _apple pie_." He might have been drunk, but deep down he knew that he was being a creepy creeper, so he reluctantly let go of her and tried to make it seem like he hadn't just assaulted her with his nose. It was a good thing it was dark, or else she would be able to see the embarrassed flush on his cheeks. "I wish I had some apple pie right now." He whispered as his body began to feel very strange. His head started to spin, and Rachel's face became very blurry before he turned around and puked into the bushes of the house they'd been walking by. His retches were the only sound on the quiet block as Rachel started to rub his back in soothing circles, trying to make him feel better. Right now he felt as if he'd puked up a lung, and he'd never wanted Rachel to see him like this.

When he stopped throwing up, he stared to mumble "I'm sorry" over and over again, and every time he said it, she replied "It's OK, there's no reason to be sorry." He didn't even know what he was apologizing for anymore, but he just kept saying it. She kept responding with the same answer.

They were about a block away from the apartment when he realized that _she_ was the one with her arms around his shoulders now, and she made no move to let go, even as they were climbing the stairs to the second floor. When they entered the apartment, she led him straight to his room, where he quickly shed his jeans and smelly polo while Rachel brought him a bottle of water and some Advil. He was so out of it, he didn't even notice that Rachel was staring at his bare chest with her mouth hanging open as he collapsed onto his bed in his underwear.

Finn Hudson was a drunk mess and now Rachel Berry knew that he wore _Family Guy_ boxers with Stewie on them.

"I'm going to leave the water right here. Are you sure you're going to be okay, Finn?" He moaned into his pillow as a response and he could feel himself passing out from the alcohol. But before she was able to leave the room, he called out to her to thank her one last time.

"You know, you're really awesome. I'm going to make this up to you one day, I swear." His voice was slurred and he was already half asleep, but he was able to choke out that one last sentence before he succumbed to his intoxication and passed out.

He wasn't even awake to see Rachel pull his blanket over him. Or to witness the soft kiss she placed on his forehead before closing the door and retreating to her own room for the night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Finn is starting to fall for her, and she is not immune to his charms!

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop . . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	6. Major Problems

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/U: The aftermath of the party! How will Rachel react the morning after she saw Finn being a drunky drunk?

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Six: Major Problems**

When Finn woke up the next morning, feeling like he'd been run over by a freight train, he slowly but surely became aware of many things. First of all, he had a splitting headache, and the dull ache that spread from his head all the way down to his toes was making him feel almost ill. It took him a second to adjust to the dim light in his room, and even that was making him wish he'd never woken up. Second, he was pretty naked; normally he wore a t-shirt to bed but he found himself in nothing but his old Family Guy boxers which was more than a little odd. Third, the events of last night were coming back to him slowly, and when he finally remembered what had truly happened last night at the party, he almost fell out of the bed from shock.

What had he _done_?

Not only did he get wasted at the TKE house, he realized that he'd made a complete ass out of himself in front of Rachel. He could remember walking home with her, being completely trashed and smelling her hair like a freak. He could even remember hurling into the bushes while Rachel must have looked on in complete horror. What did she think of him today? What would she say to him when they saw each other?

He'd sniffed her hair and told her that she smelled like apple pie. That's not just something you can forget, especially coming from the mouth of the guy who shared a bathroom with you.

So after a good minute of wrestling with himself over whether or not to hide in his room for the rest of the day, he begrudgingly dragged himself out of bed and got dressed hastily before rushing into he bathroom to avoid being caught by Rachel. If he was going to be humiliated by the only girl he'd ever trusted, he might as well have fresh breath first. Running into the bathroom like a freak, he hadn't noticed if Rachel was even around; who knew what a girl like Rachel did on a Sunday morning? But as he brushed his teeth with vigor, trying to dispel the nasty aftertaste of alcohol and puke from his mouth, he remembered something else about last night that he'd completely forgotten.

Opening his eyes wide, the toothbrush almost fell out of his mouth when his hand dropped to his side from the shock. Frothy paste started to drip out of the corner of his lips and dribble down his chin but he made no move to wipe it off.

It was _Rachel:_ her dress, the way she'd smiled at him, he jealousy he'd felt when he saw her talking to Puck. How could he try to erase the way she'd felt in his arms when they walked home together? Thanks to the alcohol, he'd forgotten all about those little details from last night, and he felt like a fool for thinking that his feelings could simply be washed away with booze and disappear forever. As he stood in his bathroom, really _thinking_ about Rachel and how he felt about her, he realized that those weird emotions were still there.

And now they were stronger than ever.

He spit out the toothpaste into the sink and stared at himself in the mirror for a good minute; not moving, not even blinking. What was he going to do? He couldn't just ignore these feelings, they were getting too out of control. She was just Rachel, his roommate; he wasn't supposed to be thinking about her shining smile or the way she looked in her adorable dress that hugged her delicate curves. . .

Oh _shit_. Shit, shit, shit. . .

This was really happening to him. Finn truly had a _thing_ for his roommate.

As he admitted this to himself in the mirror of his bathroom, with toothpaste dripping down his face and pure shock swirling around in his eyes, he had to figure out a way to make this all go away. Finn hadn't felt his way about a girl in years and he wasn't about to start again now. Maybe he should just go back to sleep and ignore her for a few days. He would be able to let his little crush run it's course and he could move on from this weird dilemma he was in and act like it had never happened.

Poking his head out of the bathroom door, he tiptoed into the hallway, trying to be as quiet as possible so Rachel couldn't catch him. The second his foot touched the floor he tried to sprint to his bedroom, but Rachel poked her head into the hall and spotted him right away.

"Finn! Good morning!" Her voice was as sweet as sugar and a strong blush was spread across her cheeks, probably because she was thinking about last night and seeing him in his drunken glory. "I was just about to check on you to see if you were awake!" She grabbed him by the hand and practically dragged him into the kitchen before he could say a word in protest, plopping him down into a chair with a hand on each of his shoulders. He was more than a little awkward, especially because now when he looked at her face all he thought about was her seeing him in his boxers. "I have a surprise for you!" He wanted to close his eyes and disappear; all he wanted to do was avoid her and her blinding smile and he way his name just rolled off of her tongue like it was music. . . Shit! He was supposed to try and make these feelings _go away_, not encourage them!

"I know that you are probably suffering from what is commonly known as a hangover, so I took it upon myself to make you a delicious breakfast full of carbohydrates that will soak up all the excess alcohol that might still be floating around your system." He just stared at her with his mouth gaping open while she maneuvered herself around the kitchen, grabbing him a plate and utensils. He didn't even know what to say to her; he was so caught up in the fact that she looked adorable in her little pink apron that words failed him in that moment.

"Um, Rach, you really didn't have to do this," he was finally able to choke out as she poured him some orange juice. "You did enough for me last night." She just looked up at him and her face split into the widest grin he'd ever seen. It made his heart do this weird fluttery thing in his chest that made him take an extra-deep breath.

"I did it because I wanted to. Now, I hope you enjoy!" She put the plate of food down in front of him and he had to do a double take to figure out what it was. When he took a small sniff to check if the food was edible, he realized what she'd made him and almost died from both embarrassment and shock.

They were pancakes. _Apple and cinnamon_ pancakes.

He looked up at her and she had already taken her own seat across from him, liberally pouring maple syrup on her pancakes and cutting them into tiny bite sized pieces. He couldn't even bear to take a bite; it felt like here was a huge lump in his throat and no matter how many times he tried to swallow his throat felt thick and dry. His brain was moving so fast he could barely catch up to his own thoughts as he continued to stare at Rachel, quietly nibbling away at the breakfast she'd made them. Was this supposed to be some kind of a_ joke_? Was she teasing him about last night? Making fun of him for his drunken confessions and alcohol-infused fuckery?

"Hey, you're not eating anything! Is something wrong? Do they taste bad? Are you still very sick?" She sounded so concerned as her brow furrowed with worry, but he could barely talk through the lump in his throat.

"You made me pancakes." His voice was hoarse and gritty, but he was able to make out that much.

"Not just any pancakes! _Apple Pie_ pancakes!" He might as well die from embarrassment right now. "You said last night that you wanted apple pie and I figured that this would be the next best thing." She started to frown and he saw the slightest bit of maple syrup shining from he corner of her mouth. "Do you not like them? I tried to put in the same spices as apple pie but we didn't have nutmeg."

"No! No, it was really nice of you to make me breakfast," What was he even going to say? She was so damn kind and so freaking beautiful; she really didn't have a spiteful bone in her body. She definitely wasn't teasing him, but the apple pie pancakes were a bit _much_. Why wasn't she freaked out about his drunken behavior? "I guess I just want to apologize to you for being a drunken mess yesterday. I'm normally not like that." He should just shut up now before he said something stupid. "And you're just really cool." Great, nice going doofus. "And I feel like an ass for being so drunk and stupid in front of you last night."

"No! Don't be sorry! I had so much fun last night!" She did? How was that even possible when she'd been forced to take care of him?

"Huh?"

"It's true! I would have never gone out to a party like that without you; I can't explain it, Finn." With this, she made eye contact with him and he was mesmerized by the emotions he saw swirling in her chocolate depths. "You make me feel _safe_. You make me feel like I can be myself." His eyes never left her face as she stared to blush like crazy, her face erupting into a beautiful rosy glow. The maple syrup was still trickling from her lips and he wanted so badly to reach over he table and kiss it off.

Whoa, kiss it off? What the fuck was up with him today?

Instead of giving into the fantasies that he knew he should _not _be having, he gave her a small smile and dug into the heaping plate of pancakes that she'd made for him. Delicious couldn't even begin to describe how good they were; he'd never tasted pancakes like this before. With each bit of his amazing breakfast, he became more and more and more aware of his feelings for Rachel, and he stuffed his face with food so he wouldn't be tempted to speak and say anything stupid.

By the time he was finished with his breakfast, it was official.

Finn had more than a _thing_ for his roommate.

And he was pretty sure it wasn't going to just go away.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Well, I must say Mr. Hudson, that I was quite surprised to see you in my Acting 1 class a few weeks ago, but it truly thrills me to know that you're considering it as a major." Dean William Schuester's office was comfortable and spacious as Finn sunk into the soft and comfortable chairs. "Do you have a copy of your transcript?" Finn reached into his backpack and pulled out his transcript from the past four semesters, handing it over with a nervous smile. He couldn't believe he was actually here, in the Dean's office, declaring a major in theatre arts.

Three weeks ago, he couldn't even act his way out of a paper bag. Now, barely a month into the semester and he was declaring it as his major.

Life was just funny sometimes.

"Well, let's see here. Normally we don't consider ATA as a valid elective class because Theater History 1 is a requirement, but I think that we can make an exception for you so you don't have to spend the rest of your life accumulating credits." Finn beamed at his new favorite professor as his eyes trailed throughout the walls of the office. Impressive looking diplomas were hung all over the walls and Finn was glad that he'd been assigned Dean Schuester as his theatre arts advisor. "Now, let me go through the requirements for the program with you." Professor Schuester and Finn looked over the course outline sheets and planned out the classes that he would be taking for the next three semesters. He had a lot to plan out, seeing as he was already a junior, but if he took an extra class for the next two semesters he might just be able to graduate on time.

"Listen Finn, this isn't going to be easy for you because you're already so far behind everyone else. The theatre department is competitive and everyone here is extremely talented. Also, we demand what is known to the students as 'Tech Time'."

"Tech time?" He repeated the words with confusion. Rachel hadn't mentioned tech time during her campaign for him to sign up for a theatre arts major.

"Every month you have to log in between 15-20 hours of tech time. You come to the theatre and help build sets for the shows and make costumes and learn what goes on behind-the-scenes." Well, now he knew why Rachel had not disclosed that little tidbit of information. 15-20 hours a month? He was already stretched for time with football, classes and the frat, now he had to fit in tech time as well? Would he ever have a free moment to rest this semester?

Probably not.

"Do you think you can handle this, Finn? It's quite demanding, and I hope you'll be able to squeeze in tech time with football. I can give you a free pass for September if you can't make it to 15 hours, but when the play begins in October we're going to need you to put in a lot of effort." Finn kind of just sat there and nodded while Dean Schuester concluded the paperwork. How was he going to work this all out? Dean Schuester seemed oblivious to his plight as he finished filling out the paperwork, shaking Finn's hand with a smile after he was completely finished. "If you ever need anything Finn, please don't hesitate to come and talk to me. I want this major to work out for you, I truly do." Finn was able to shoot Professor Schuester a small smile before he headed out of the office and into the midday sun.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he exited the theatre building, taking his time in walking across the campus to his car. As anxious as he was about the 'tech time' hours he would have to log in, he felt more than a little accomplished after finally declaring his major and choosing a path to follow for the rest of his college career. At least now he could stop worrying about his major and start focusing on all the other important things going on in his life. At least it was Friday. Fridays were his favorite day of the week; mainly because he didn't have class at all and football practice was in the mornings. It gave him the whole afternoon to do nothing, which was perfect for someone like Finn who was always so stretched for time. He was especially happy today because he had an away game this weekend at Purdue, and he liked getting out of Columbus every once in a while. Finn loved to travel, mostly because he'd never had the opportunity to do so before college, and the away games were a perfect opportunity to get out more.

There was only one problem.

He was going to miss Rachel.

Alright, he knew it was a really girly thing to admit, but he _was_ really going to miss her. Ever since the frat party two weeks ago, they'd been practically inseparable. They left little notes for each other, letting the other person know when they would be home or what they were eating for dinner that night. Rachel had even made them a huge calendar that included both of their class schedules on it so they would always know where the other person was supposed to be. Sure, maybe the calendar had cats on them, but he could overlook that detail and focus solely on the fact that they were getting closer and closer by the day.

And he was liking her more and more with every minute they spent together.

He was almost positive the feeling was mutual, too. Sometimes he caught Rachel staring at him with a blush on her cheeks and he secretly hoped that she was checking him out so he wouldn't be the only one who was feeling this way. Being around Rachel was so easy, so _effortlessly_ easy, that he found himself falling for her more and more as the days went on.

It only took him a few days to realize that his little crush wasn't so much a crush anymore, but he couldn't let her know that. In fact, he was pretty sure she had no clue about the true depth of his feelings for her. He wasn't really sure he understood them either, but they were getting stronger, and he couldn't ignore them any longer.

Sighing as he got into his car, he maneuvered through the streets and made his way back to the apartment so he could pack and be ready by tonight. He had to be at the football stadium by 7 in order to catch the bus to Purdue, and he wouldn't be back until Sunday night. Would Rachel miss him? Would she even care if he was gone? Frowning to himself, he sincerely hoped that his feelings weren't one-sided; but how was he even supposed to open up a discussion like that without being awkward? He knew that she still wasn't completely over Jesse; they talked often now about their pasts and their exes, and Rachel still brought up the fact that she was hurting. It was understandable; his trauma had happened more than four years ago and he was still anxious when it came to trusting women, but he'd let Rachel in, right? That counted as some sort of progress!

He just didn't want to lose her. She had told him flat-out in the beginning that she wasn't interested in hooking up with him, but Finn didn't want to hook-up with Rachel. She deserved so much more than that. He wanted to make her happy, and smile. He wanted to finally kiss the lips he'd been dreaming of for weeks, and hold her close to him again like the night of the frat party. He wanted to climb into the over-sized bed they had built together and touch her; he wanted to hear the way she sounded when she made love.

_Made love_? It was like Finn was a completely different person now; in the span of barely three weeks he had turned from a horny frat brother into a corny fool and it was all Rachel's fault.

He wasn't really complaining though. Even though he hadn't been laid in forever; that was definitely a bummer.

When he made it back to the apartment, he wondered what to do with the rest of his afternoon before he had to leave for the weekend. Maybe he and Rachel could jam like they had done all of last weekend? With him on drums and Rachel singing he was pretty sure they gave rock bands a run for their money; Rachel had some sick vocals and he was obsessed with hearing her sing. Her voice did some crazy-ass things to him; it made the hairs on his arms stand on end and he wondered how all of that sound could come out of a girl so tiny.

As he was turning his key in the lock of his door, he could faintly hear yelling coming from the inside. Was Rachel watching his Bourne DVD's again? He knew she had a thing for Matt Damon. . .

But when he entered the apartment, the TV was off, and the yelling became louder and more coherent once he went inside and shut the door behind him. Did Rachel have someone over? He tiptoed into the hallway, where her door was slightly open, and even though he thought he had learned his lesson before with eaves-dropping on her friends, he couldn't help himself. A smooth, arrogant voice bled through the crack in the door and Finn could hear the conversation like he was in the room with them.

"I don't understand what your problem is, babe! I said I was sorry!"

"Don't call me 'babe,' Jesse. I am not your 'babe' anymore." Rachel sounded more than a little angry and Finn clenched his fists at his side. Jesse was in his apartment? Had Rachel invited him over? What was he doing here? Biting his lip so hard he thought it would bleed, he stayed as silent as possible in order to figure out what was going on. "I've said everything that needed to be said already. We are _done_." She put heavy emphasis on the word done and his heart soared in his chest. He was so proud of Rachel for sticking up to her ex. She'd told him that their break-up had been messy, and now he could see why. This tool just didn't give up. Anger started to bubble up under the surface when he heard Jesse's harsh reply.

"We're done when I say so, Rachel. Things are not over between us."

"Yes they are! I've moved on Jesse. We are not getting back together. It was a mistake to even get in contact with you but I wanted your stupid collection of Fosse DVD's out of my room."

All of a sudden, Jesse's voice became sugary sweet and Finn had to resist the urge to punch the wall. "Come on, sweetheart. You know you miss me. Move back in with me, we can start fresh and forget about everything that happened before."

It made his heart ache painfully to hear that there was actually a bit of longing in her tone. "I can't Jesse. I bought a new bed and I have a great roommate and I really like being on my own. If you cared about me at all, you would respect that." Wait, was she really considering getting back together with this douche-bag?

"A great roommate, huh?" It was scary how fast Jesse had switched from being sensitive to vicious. "I heard you were living with a dude. Did you sleep with him to get the apartment, Rachel? Is that why you won't move in with me, because you're already fucking someone else?" Rachel's sharp gasp filled the apartment and Finn saw red in front of his eyes.

Okay, that was the last straw. No one talked to Rachel like that, not in _his_ house.

"Is there a problem here?" Finn took it upon himself to open the door the rest of the way and he stood in the entrance to Rachel's room, staring at Jesse with murder in his eyes. Rachel looked horrified; it looked like she was about two seconds away from bursting into tears and his heart ached for her. She'd already cried way too many tears over this guy, he wasn't going to sit around and allow him to affect her this way if he could do something about it.

But instead of backing down, Jesse stepped forward with his arms stretched, daring Finn to stand up against him. "Can I help you?" In this one moment, Finn was happy that he was freakishly tall; he was way bigger than Jesse and if it came down to it, he would definitely be able to kick his ass, but Jesse didn't look intimidated.

He needed to change that.

"Actually, I was wondering if I can help_ you_. You see, you're in my house and you're upsetting my roommate. I think you should leave."

Jesse raised a surprised eyebrow and stared at Finn like he was trying to remember something. "You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

Finn shook his head and ignored the comment, "It doesn't matter, I know who you are and I know for a fact that you're not welcome here. No one is allowed to come into my apartment and talk to Rachel like she's a whore. You need to get the fuck out, now, before I call the cops." He couldn't let Jesse know who he was; he was still the TA for his class and he was putting himself in the middle of something that truly had nothing to do with him.

"Well, I was invited over here, so your argument is invalid." He could see Rachel shaking her head from behind Jesse and he wished that he could just pull her towards him and have her hide in his bedroom or something.

"No, he's lying! I invited you here to pick up your DVD's. You pushed your way into the apartment!" This bit of information made Finn angrier than ever. He was able to force his way into the apartment? What would had happened if he'd never come home? Fearing Rachel's safety, he grabbed Jesse by the lapel of his jacket and pulled him out of the bedroom and into the living room, where he was ready to start punching this mother-fucker for breaking into his apartment. But Rachel ran up to him and grabbed him by the bicep, distracting him with the torn and anguished look in her eyes.

"No! Finn, please don't hurt him!" His fist was drawn back and his body was buzzing with energy that was just waiting to be released, but instead of letting his fists fly, he backed down and let go of Jesse's coat. He really wanted to punch him though. "It's not worth it." She cooed at him and it took every ounce of his self control to let his arm drop to his side. Through the haze of his blinding anger, Rachel's presence and voice was like a beacon in the dark, bringing him back to reality and calming him down. Instead of beating him into a bloody pulp, he went to the front door and opened it, making it clear that Jesse had to leave. Now.

"If I ever see you in this apartment again, St. James, I'm calling the cops and getting a restraining order. Stay the fuck away from Rachel, she doesn't want to see you anymore." For a tense minute Jesse just stared at Finn with hate and malice shining in his eyes, but before he walked out the door, a wide and vicious smirk spread across his face.

That smirk was so unsettling it was kind of scary to look at.

Finally, he put his hands up in the air in mock-defeat and started to walk out of the door. Before he left, he went up to Rachel and placed a small kiss on her forehead, making Finn want to explode in anger and jealousy. His only consolation was the look on Rachel's face after he pulled away; she looked like she wanted to take a shower. When he finally walked out of the door, Finn slammed it in his face, but not before Jesse was able to shoot Finn an evil wink that filled him with a strange sense of foreboding. Nothing good could come from a wink so evil, and he had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he would be seeing Jesse St. James around.

Once the door was shut and all the locks were secured and in place, Finn turned around to find Rachel staring at him angrily. Rubbing his neck with his hand, he knew that he'd had no right getting involved in Rachel's argument with her ex-boyfriend, but he just couldn't help himself. But as he stood there, in his living room, being burned alive by her fiery stare, he noticed that her anger was slowly melting away into disappointment.

"Finn," She took a deep breath and sounded exhausted; gone was the previous anger he had seen shining in her eyes. "Why did you do that?"

"He, uh, I, uh, you. . ." He couldn't even describe his though processes from before; he'd let his emotions control him and in retrospect; that probably wasn't the greatest idea. "He was being a jerk, Rach! He said that you had slept with me for the apartment!" How else could he explain himself? Didn't she understand? "No one is allowed to talk to you that way in this apartment, I won't allow it!" He crossed his arms in front of his chest as if it ended the conversation, but Rachel mimicked his actions and added her own opinion.

"I was more than capable of handling him myself. He would have eventually left."

"Well how did he even get in? You said he pushed his way into the apartment!" She looked away from him then, with shame written across her face.

"I might not be as strong as you, Finn, but I can protect myself. I own a rape whistle." He scoffed as if having a rape whistle made this whole situation okay. He was still buzzing with unreleased energy and it felt like he was going to explode. "You're not always going to be around to fight my battles for me. I can take care of myself." She was looking at him to respond to her, but something she'd said had distracted him. "Finn?" He'd barley heard his name being called and she had to walk up to him and shake him by the shoulders in order to get him to snap out of the trance he'd fallen into. "Finn!"

"Rachel, I'm not going to be around this weekend."

"I know that, you have to get ready for Purdue. I already have ESPN2 set on the TV."

"No, Rachel, what if he comes back while I'm not here? You need someone to protect you if he comes back." She stepped away from him and he thought for a minute that she might slap him.

"Finn, you have _no right_ to try and protect me. . ." This time he was the one who grabbed her by the shoulders, and when he looked into her eyes he didn't care that his voice had dropped a few octaves and their faces were very close. The smell of apples drifted around him and part of him wished he could just drown in her right now, but she had to know why he was doing this.

"Yes I do. I have every right to try to protect you from him, because I _care_ about you. I don't want to see you suffer anymore because of him, and I need you to understand that this is just the way I am. I am not leaving for Purdue until I know that someone is going to be here to look after you and the apartment while I'm gone. Please respect this." Oh man, he wanted to kiss her so badly. Her lips were mere inches away from his own and they were turned out in the most beautiful pout. It would be so easy to just lean forward and capture them in his own. . .

But instead he pulled back, after she closed her eyes and nodded timidly.

"Alright. Who did you have in mind?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It took Finn one phone call and barely five minutes of persuasion to talk his old roommate, Panda, into coming up for the weekend to look after Rachel. Sure, he wasn't the biggest or strongest guy that Finn knew, but he knew that Panda could be trusted, and he could swing a bat, so that was all that mattered. It took Panda almost an hour to drive up from his hometown, and Finn was eternally grateful.

"Okay, so no smoking in the house anymore Panda. You wanna blaze, you gotta do it on the patio."

"Geez Hudson, this girl has you whipped!" He shot his friend a dirty look as he went over the ground rules.

"If anyone shows up to the house with curly hair and a shit-eating grin on his face, my baseball bat is in my closet. Swing away. That guy is not to step foot in this apartment, no matter what he says." Panda nodded enthusiastically.

"So, crazy ex-boyfriend, huh? They're always fun to deal with. But no worries, Finn. I'll make sure your roommate is safe and secure."

"Thanks dude." Rachel poked her head out of her bedroom and Finn introduced her to Panda. Rachel looked a little bit awkward, but he knew it was because she was being forced to co-habituate with a stranger for two whole days. At least she would be safe. Jesse would have to be an idiot to come back so soon, and if he did, Panda would be here. Finn gathered his bags and shook Panda's hand, saying goodbye to his friend. When he turned to say goodbye to Rachel though, she shook her head.

"No, I'm going to walk you to your car." She smiled at him softly and his heart warmed to know that she was no longer angry with him for his actions earlier that afternoon. He said a final goodbye to Panda and walked downstairs with Rachel in silence, loading his car with his gear while Rachel just stood by and watched him. When he finally turned to say goodbye, he thought he could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Before he could react, she ran into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly and squeezing him as hard as she could. He wasn't complaining; he took this opportunity and buried her head in her hair, reciprocating the hug in earnest and drowning in her heavenly scent. Part of him wished she would never let go.

"Thank you, Finn. For _everything_." Whispering into his chest, she softly nuzzled into him before pulling away, and he saw a shining tear begin to drip down the corner of her eye. He took her face into his hands and gently brushed the stray tear away with his thumbs, making her face erupt into a crimson blush.

"I'll be back on Sunday night." It sure as hell sounded like they were saying goodbye but they made no move to pull apart from their embrace. Stepping onto her tiptoes, she pressed her lips softly against his cheek and pulled away like his face had burned her, taking a few steps back and shooting him a small smile.

"Break a leg." With a final wave, she turned around and walked back into the apartment while Finn had to force himself to get into his car instead of chasing after her. With a hand placed softly over the spot where she'd kissed him, he drove out of the parking lot and headed to the football stadium.

This was going to be the longest weekend ever.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

What will happen once Finn returns from Purdue?

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	7. Chemistry 101

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: I hope you're all ready for some sexual tension, because Finn is home and he missed Rachel. A lot.

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Seven: Chemistry 101**

Finn drove like a madman through the streets of Columbus at dusk, weaving his way through the streets to the outskirts of the city where he shared his apartment with a starry-eyed brunette bombshell who he'd missed like crazy. He hadn't been home from his away game for more than fifteen minutes, but he just couldn't take being away from her for any longer. He had to know she was alright, and that Panda had done his job as her private bodyguard.

The weekend had been _brutal_. Purdue had an almost airtight defense and it was hard for OSU to score for most of the game. It was never easy playing away games, but this one was especially difficult because his personal cheerleader was watching him from home instead of in the stands. He could have used her encouragement going into the game, and she was on his mind often, when he should have been focused on the game. But in the second half of the game, the Buckeyes had managed to squeeze in a touchdown, and they won by only 3 points, giving them a perfect record only four games into the season.

Finn had a feeling this was going to be a good year for OSU football.

When he pulled into the lot, he didn't even bother unloading his gear from the trunk before sprinting into the building and mounting the stairs to the second floor. That stuff could always be brought inside later. Taking two and three steps at a time, he had his keys already out as he approached the door, and his heart started beating rapidly. Their parting conversation had been on his mind all weekend, and he'd barely gotten any sleep on the bus ride to Purdue because he'd been replaying her kiss in his mind all night long. The truth was that Finn had missed Rachel. A lot. More than he'd ever thought possible. And he wanted to know that she'd felt the same way; that she'd missed him just as much. He heard talking coming from inside the apartment and hoped that Panda was still there, keeping up his post as her bodyguard. Taking a deep breath, he tried to be calm as he entered the apartment when all he wanted to do was burst inside and take Rachel into his arms like it was Friday again. He spotted his roommate and his ex-roommate playing cards on the kitchen table and chatting amicably, not noticing him standing in the hallway.

"So what is this _Family Guy_ show, and why do so many guys watch it?" It looked like they were playing Rummy, and he watched as Rachel placed some cards down while Panda frowned.

"Because it's hysterical! The Griffin family are the most insane and hilarious family and they just find more and more ways to offend people and push boundaries."

"Ah, I see. Boy humor. And what is the name of the baby with the football-shaped head?" So she _had_ seen him in his boxers that night. . .

"That's Stewie. He's supposed to be a toddler but he says the most offensive things." She giggled and looked at Panda with bright eyes while he felt a sting of jealousy that they were chatting like old friends.

"I see." He took it upon himself to cough loudly and make his presence known. He was glad that Panda and Rachel had become friends over the weekend, but he wanted some time alone with his roommate. It was already getting late and they had classes in the morning. Rachel looked up from the table in shock and he was kind of hoping that she would run into his arms and they would share this moment that would validate all of the feelings he'd been having for her this whole time. But instead her face just broke out in a small smile as she waved to him from the table before looking back down at her cards.

Well, _ouch_.

"Hey man!" He got a warmer greeting from Panda, who stood up from his seat at the table and met him in the hallway for a handshake and a pat on the back. "We watched you on TV yesterday and I can't believe you threw that 60 yard pass. It was unbelievable!" He and Panda chatted a bit about the game while Rachel avoided eye contact with him entirely, cleaning up the card game and doing some random dishes while he continued to talk to Panda about the weekend. "Where's the next away game? Are you going to be needing my services again?" Reaching for his overnight bag, he knew Panda had to get back home.

"Yeah, definitely. I'm going to Penn State in two weeks." His answer was a bit hollow as his eyes trailed Rachel in the kitchen, not making any other moves to greet him or engage in the conversation at all. Had he imagined Friday completely? Did she really kiss him at all or had it been an illusion? He wasn't so sure as she gave Panda a small hug as he made to leave the house.

"Thanks for keeping me company, Panda bear." _Panda bear_? What the fuck? How close had these two gotten over the past 48 hours?

"No problem, Rachel. I guess I'll be seeing you in two weeks." Panda shook Finn's hand once more as Finn walked him out of the apartment and into the hallway.

"Thanks again, man. I appreciate it." He knew he shouldn't be asking this, but it was really eating him away inside. "So you two got pretty close, huh?"

Panda laughed and balanced his bag on his shoulders. "Are you kidding me? On Friday she wouldn't even leave her room, it wasn't until I turned on the TV Saturday when she even started talking to me. And all she asked about was _you_. I think she has a thing for you, you should have seen her face while we were watching your game. Later bro." Winking at Finn, Panda walked down the stairs and out of Finn's line of vision as he stood in the hallway reeling from the news Panda had told him. He wish he could have seen her reactions while she watched him play, so he would know for sure that Panda was telling the truth and not bullshitting him.

He went back into the apartment, locking the door and feeling a bit awkward about what to do next. Supposedly she had been asking about him all weekend, but that was kind of hard to believe after witnessing the way she'd greeted him only a few minutes ago. He walked down the hallway towards his room to crash after the hard weekend, but he had to pass by Rachel's door first.

"Finn!" He heard her voice call out his name and he stopped in front of her door, waiting anxiously to see what she was going to say. She was sitting on her bed with her laptop balancing on her legs, and she placed the computer on her desk so she could adjust herself on the bed. Patting the space next to her softly, she smiled at him and beckoned him to come sit with her. It felt like his legs were carrying him of their own accord as he took shallow breaths that left him feeling curiously lightheaded. He sat down on the bed and her smile became wider and brighter. He tried to smile at her, but he felt so awkward that he was sure it looked more like a grimace. She was sending him mixed signals of the worst kind. "Hi." She was speaking in only single syllable words which was so unlike her and he felt like he would be sick. He had missed her _so_ much and now he couldn't tell if she'd missed him at all.

"Hey." Why did his voice sound so gritty and rough? He tried to clear his voice as best as he could while trying not to focus on the fact that he was sitting on Rachel's bed. "How was your weekend?"

She shrugged lightly and rolled her eyes a bit. "It was okay. While Panda's presence was completely unnecessary he was a good companion for the weekend. Jesse made no move to contact me and for that I am very grateful." She looked at Finn shyly and started playing with the fringe on her pillowcase. "I watched your game on Saturday."

"Oh yeah, what did you think?" She'd been to his games before, what made this one so different? She looked up at him with wide eyes and he could see the awe in her gaze.

"You're a star."

"What do you mean?" Her face erupted in a crimson blush and she ducked her head so she was no longer making eye contact with him.

"I watched your interview with the reporters after the game and they were doing a highlight reel of all your best moments and I realized that this wasn't just a silly game. I had no idea that so many people and fans depended on you. You and I are so much more alike than I ever thought possible. I can only dream about being interviewed and having news reports about me, and yesterday I watched you on TV, handling it all like a pro. I kind of envy you a little, but I'm really proud of you and your talent." By the end of her confession her face was redder than ever, and he was pretty sure she wasn't the kind of person to give out compliments like that, so he took them all to heart. "And I really missed you." Adding in the last statement, she finally looked back into his eyes and he could see how open and vulnerable she was right now. If his room was his safe haven, then she must feel the same about her own space; and here she was baring her soul to him even though it took her so much effort.

The urge to kiss her was becoming too strong, too demanding, and he started to lean in closer to her on the bed, drowning in the smell of apples and spices that surrounded him in her bedroom. He thought he could see her moving closer to him too, and his eyes trailed to her pouting mouth as she licked her lips. "You didn't say anything when I came home, I thought that maybe you preferred Panda over me."

She shook her head slowly as her eyes grew soft. "I didn't want to say anything in front of him, I still don't know him all too well." He could tell that she still didn't trust random guys but he was happy that she'd let Panda in a bit. "But I did. I missed you." She placed a hand on top of his and he squeezed it, rubbing his thumbs over her skin and wondering how it could feel so silky smooth.

His face inched closer to hers until their lips were so close that they were almost touching. "I missed you too," he breathed softly before finally closing the distance between them and laying his lips upon hers. The feeling that crashed over him in that one moment was stronger and more powerful than anything he'd ever felt before and he _knew_ that this had all been real. He hadn't been imagining this connection he shared with her. Rachel felt it too.

Leaning into her, he could hear her sighing against his mouth as he deepened the kiss until it felt like his head was swimming. It would be so easy to just fall backwards onto the bed and let Rachel drape over him while they continued to explore each other, and succumb to this heady emotion that felt almost tangible in the small bedroom. It was like he could sense the electricity crackling in the air around them, and he didn't want to let it die out. He and Rachel had a chemistry that he'd never felt with anyone before, and he wanted to know _more_. Screw Theater Arts; he wanted to declare his major in Rachel Studies with a concentration in _orgasmic chemistry_, but he could feel her pulling away from him while he tried desperately to hold on to the blissful moment.

Eventually she ended the kiss with a look of conflict set deep into her eyes. Was she doubting this? Was it a mistake to even kiss her, to cross that delicate line from roommates to _other_? But a tentative smile appeared on her face and he tried to remember how to breathe. That kiss was like nothing he'd ever felt before and he'd kissed _a lot_ of girls in his past. "I'm sorry, it's just that I have an early class tomorrow and I have to finish this assignment before I go to bed." Smiling serenely, she pulled her hand away from his and instead placed it on his face in a soft caress. "But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't mind making out with you all night long." Leaning into her hand a bit, he grinned at her and reluctantly got up from the bed to give her the privacy she needed. "I'm glad you're home." She said softly before he closed the door.

"I am too. Sweet dreams Rachie B."

"Goodnight, Finn." Sharing one last smile, he closed the door and stood in the hallway grinning like an idiot before finally retreating to his room for the night, pretending to do homework when his mind was still across the hall in Rachel's bedroom.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He groaned loudly as he tossed and turned in bed, tangling himself up in his sheets while he tried to hide his eyes from the brilliant sunshine that was pouring into his window. It felt way too early to be awake, and he instinctively knew that he didn't have to be up for hours. He didn't even know why he was awake at all; he'd spent so much time thinking about Rachel and that kiss in her bedroom that he hadn't gotten any work done until way after midnight. He'd had to write a paper for ATA that was due this afternoon and a film analysis due tomorrow; plus today he had to start logging in tech time at the theatre department. Scratching the stubble on his face, he got up to use the bathroom before returning to bed for a little while longer to sneak in some extra rest before he had to start his busy day.

Rachel's door was closed as he entered the hallway and he assumed that it might even be too early for _her_ to be awake as he shivered at the slight chill had settled into the apartment overnight. He scurried into the bathroom which was closed yet unlocked, and he opened the door only to be hit with a huge gust of hot, steamy air.

When the air cleared, his jaw dropped to the floor.

Rachel was in the middle of stepping out of the shower; one foot was still in the tub while the other stepped lightly onto a towel on the floor. With eyes as wide as saucers, she stared at him in shock as his body grew rigid and he felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. Her olive skin was glistening with droplets of water that slid down her body, and his eyes trailed lower and lower as he stood there soaking in the vision of her. When a droplet of water slid down the valley in-between her breasts and trailed lower into the dark patch of hair above her legs, reality crashed down around him in an instant when he realized what was happening. They made eye contact once more but she made no move to yell at him or cover herself up. Before she could react he shot her a look of panic, retreating out of the bathroom and running into his own bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him with a slam.

Oh shit. Oh shit shit shit _fuck_.

He had seen her _naked_. Rachel, his roommate, was standing not even two feet away from him, in the nude, and he did nothing but gawk at her like an idiot and run away like a pansy. What the fuck was _wrong_ with him? If she'd been any other girl from his past, he would have closed the door behind him, stripped down naked and turned the water back on, making sure she felt dirty enough to warrant another shower. But the vision of Rachel in front of him had frozen him in place, crippling him so he was unable to do anything but stare.

He fell backwards onto his bed and could think of nothing but Rachel's naked body in front of him. Just last night they were kissing and now he'd seen her naked; he couldn't control himself as he reached down his boxers and started to stroke himself as the vision of Rachel's naked body became more and more clear in his memory. What would have happened if he'd stayed in the bathroom? Would she have protested? He had seen the expression of shock on her face but she hadn't screamed or yelled at him to get out. In fact, he realized as his breathing picked up pace that it was almost like she had been daring him to make a move. Maybe she'd wanted him to stay? The thought alone made him work himself up into a dizzying frenzy as the image of Rachel broke down all of his defenses. Just picturing what could have happened was bringing him to climax faster than he wanted to, and he spilled onto his hands as the image of Rachel naked in the shower started to fade away and turn into guilt over his actions.

It was official. He was _a freak_.

How was he ever going to face her again? First he walks in on her naked and doesn't even have the decency to look away, then he goes and jerks off in the next room while her image is still fresh in his mind. But as he was coming down from the euphoria he felt at his release, he couldn't help but admit that he'd never felt so powerfully about someone before he met Rachel. He'd always thought sex was sex, but this was like _nothing_ he'd ever felt before. He wanted Rachel in a way he never thought possible.

It was official. He was _in love_.

_A freak in love_.

He was panting as he cleaned himself off, his mind reeling from the fact that it was still so early and so much had happened in such a short amount of time. He'd seen his roommate naked, realized that he was in love with her and jerked off to her image all in the span of 15 minutes. That had to be a record somewhere.

What was he even going to do? He couldn't go out there and face her, not now after what he'd done in the solitude of his bedroom. Just last night he thought that things would be perfect, and now he was worried that he'd fucked up any chance with her thanks to his little foray in voyeurism. This was going to make things awkward between them, he could feel it.

He should have just stayed in bed. Which was what he was going to do right now before he had the chance to do any more damage to their already fragile relationship. He climbed back under the sheets and tried to forget about the image that he secretly wanted to burn into his brain as he passed out to thoughts of Rachel and her perfect body.

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When he woke up for the second time that morning, he made sure he knocked on the bathroom door this time before realizing that Rachel wasn't home. She was always running around campus in the mornings, and he was sure that with his busy Monday schedule they wouldn't be seeing that much of the other that day. This was a blessing in disguise; if he could avoid her all afternoon then maybe they could avoid having the extremely awkward conversation that he was sure would follow this bathroom debacle. As he got ready for his classes, he wondered if he should leave her one of his trademark notes, but he thought that would be a little bit weird. What would he even say?

_Hey Rach, sorry about this morning, but you just so happen to have the hottest body I've ever seen. . ._

As tempting as it was, he shook his head as he left the apartment for the day and cringed at the thought of them discussing any of the events from this morning. He entered ATA and was so distracted by seeing Rachel naked that he completely forgot he had to sit through the class while Jesse St. Jerkwad sat on his high horse and smirked at the undergrads for an hour and a half. He slipped on a pair of sunglasses and hid all the way in the back so Jesse wouldn't spot him as he passed his paper down the road to be collected by the king of the douche-bags himself. He hid his face in his book when Jesse came by his row, and he hoped that he would be able to avoid him. A confrontation with Rachel's ex was the last thing he needed on this already fucked up day.

Thankfully, he made it out of ATA in one piece, and he headed off to the theater to log in some Tech Time hours before he had to be at Beginners Pottery. When he entered the large space, he instantly spotted the one person who he was both dying to see and trying to avoid at all costs.

Rachel. In all her short skirt, super cute and quirky glory.

She spotted him as he made his way down the aisles and towards the stage and he could have sworn that he saw the paintbrush she was holding slip out of her hands. Great, he knew that things were bound to be awkward between them, but not while they were surrounded by other theatre majors.

"Finn," she said softly as she got up from her knees, smoothing her skirt down and smiling at him hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"

"Logging in some tech time hours. By the way, I never thanked you for keeping me in the dark about this mega responsibility during your lectures on why a major in theater arts would make my life more worthwhile." He was trying to be funny, but some of his annoyance shined through and she bowed her head in shame.

"I didn't mean to do it on purpose, but it's not really that bad. You're just so busy and I though the tech hours would hinder your decision but we can make it work, I know it. I hold the record for most hours logged in! Last April I practically lived here; I clocked in over 60 hours of tech time!"

As awkward as he felt around her, he couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, and he dropped his bag an an empty seat in the audience while he took a look around the empty theatre. "Well, what do you need me to do first?" Her smile was brighter than the spotlights that shone down onto the stage.

"Follow me, I'll show you around backstage." She gave him the grand tour of the theatre, showing him where to find supplies and props and how to get upstairs to the tech booth where they control the lighting. He helped her move set pieces and they had to paint all these slabs of wood black to serve at background props. They worked amicably, mostly in silence while Finn tried to decipher whether or not she was mad about this morning. If she was, then she was really good at hiding it, but then again she was a very talented actress.

Finn kept checking his watch to make sure he wouldn't be late for class, and Rachel had marked him down for an hours worth of work while he got ready to leave. She walked him to the back of the theatre where the exits were and the awkwardness that he'd been waiting to feel all afternoon was suddenly stifling. They kind of stood there without saying anything, waiting for something to happen and for one of them to make the first move. They were really good at pretending in front of other people, but when they were alone there were some tings that they just couldn't deny.

"So I might not see you tonight, I have to be at the Frat after football and initiate the pledges so I wont be home until much later." She was looking away from him and playing with her hair.

"Oh, okay." Wait, why did she sound so sad? "I'll see you when I see you then."

"Yeah," What else should he say? "Listen, Rachel, about this morning. . ."

He wanted to elaborate more but Rachel had cut him off mid-sentence. "No, Finn, it was my fault. I assumed that it was too early for you to be awake and I didn't lock the door. You have no need to apologize. Honestly, it's nothing."

Well he sure didn't feel like it was nothing, he'd been thinking about her naked all day long, that wasn't _nothing_. That was definitely _something_. But he didn't want to risk things being any more awkward between them, so he just nodded softly and started to exit the theatre building. "Have a great day, Rach."

"You too, Finn."

Sighing as he made his way to the Fine Arts building for pottery, he wondered when this crazy messed up day would be over, and how things with Rachel were going to change once they were back in the privacy of their own apartment.

It was going to be a long evening.

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It was well past midnight when he finally dragged himself up the stairs of his apartment building, entering his apartment silently so as to not disturb his roommate who had probably been sleeping for hours already. He had to be at Acting 1 so early in the morning that he didn't even have time to do any homework tonight; he needed to get straight to bed. Feeling exhausted, he was grateful that this day was finally over. He could go to sleep now and forget that it had even happened. Then they could pretend that Finn hadn't seen Rachel naked and they didn't have to worry about being awkward around each other anymore.

He didn't even bother checking his mail before bed, and he slipped under his covers while killing the lights, ready to just pass out and succumb to his exhaustion. But as he made himself comfortable in his bed, he heard a small noise that distracted him from falling asleep.

His door opened and a small sliver of light from the hallway leaked into his room as he heard the soft footsteps of his roommate enter the room stealthily. He turned towards the door to find her standing over his bed, looking down at him with an intense look in her eyes. What was she doing here? And why was she looking at him like that?

"Rachel?" He called out into the dark. "What's the matter? I figured you would be asleep by now, it's late."

"I waited up for you to come home." Her voice was soft and she barely spoke above a whisper. "I wanted to talk to you." He went to sit up in bed so they could converse but Rachel placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. He stared up at her with wide eyes as she pulled back his sheets and started to climb in bed with him. Panic started to pulse throughout his body as their skin made contact and he cursed his body's reaction. If she saw or felt the raging boner he had right now than he was fucked. In a_ bad_ way.

"Rachel, what's going on?" His voice hitched a bit as she laid her head down on the pillows and molded herself to his side.

"Shh." She placed a finger over his lips and he wondered if she could hear his heart pounding in the darkness of the room. The apartment was so silent he was sure it was possible, aan she removed her finger from his lips and instead placed a soft, yet chaste, kiss on them. "I've been wanting to do that all day." She whispered in the dark and all his previous worries about things being awkward between them had flown out of the window. He leaned over to kiss her again, this time with all the passion that he'd been holding inside of him all day, as she melted into his embrace. It would be so simple to touch her now, to take advantage of the cover of darkness and spend the night making love in his bed. But when she punctuated a kiss with a giant yawn, he remembered how late it was, and how she'd stayed up to wait for him to get home.

"Go to sleep, Rachel." Wrapping an arm around her tiny body, he pulled her in as close to him as possible, his boner be damned. Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, he closed his eyes and wondered if this had all been a dream. Was he already asleep and imagining this girl in his bed, wrapped around his body and cuddling into him?

It sure as hell didn't feel like a dream as she captured his lips in one final kiss.

"Goodnight, Finn."

"Goodnight, Rachel."

He smiled as he drifted off to sleep with his roommate in his arms.

This was something he could get used to.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Sexy times, they are a comin'!

Until next time. . .Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	8. Expectations

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and Fox. This is purely for fun. Enjoy :)

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Eight: Expectations**

Taking a deep breath and trying his best to focus under the bright lights of the training field, Finn spotted his teammate at the 20 yard line, running at full speed for the end-zones. While this was only a practice, Finn still felt the same influx of adrenaline seep into his system as he tried his hardest to aim for his target and complete the pass. Letting his arm snap back, he released the football with a loud grunt and watched as it soared into the sky and across the wide stretch of land. When his teammate caught it with relative ease just as he was crossing the threshold of the end-zones, he had to choke back a yell of victory. That was well over 70 yards, and Finn had never been in such good form before.

If only he could say the same thing for his personal life. Right now things between him and Rachel were becoming awkward and messy, and he was afraid he'd messed up their personal relationship by crossing the line and kissing her a few nights ago.

Now they kind of lived in this awkward state of sexual tension all of the time. The morning after she had crawled into bed with him he'd woken up alone, with not even a note to help ease the sting of rejection. As much as he liked Rachel, which he did, _a lot_, she wasn't really helping him get over his fear of commitment or trust issues with women, especially with how she was treating him right now. He knew she had her issues, but so did he, and what she was doing just wasn't fair to either of them.

He'd tried to confront her about this throughout the week but she'd found ways to avoid him or his questions at every turn. Trying to be evasive about this wasn't working; if he wanted to truly have a discussion about this with Rachel he was going to have to find some way to stand up to her and truly speak his mind. Let her know exactly what she was doing to him, and if being in a relationship with her would even work at all because of their obvious issues with commitment.

So until he and Rachel were able to have an honest conversation with each other without the school/time constraints, he was going to focus on football. The team's record was flawless so far, and he was planning on keeping it that way.

"Hudson!" The burly, intimidating football coach called to him from the sides of the field, waving his arms wildly to capture Finn's attention. "Come here, you have a visitor!"

A visitor? No one ever came to the field during practice, not unless it was Rachel? Was she finally ready to talk things through with him?

Apparently not, because when he jogged to the sides of the field, he didn't see his quirky roommate with the short skirts and the acting chops of Meryl Streep.

He saw a man in a very expensive looking suit, standing on the sidelines wearing aviator sunglasses even thought it was dusk. He took them off his face when he approached Finn, giving him an appraising eye and analyzing him like he was looking at a piece of fine art. Opening his arms wide, he shot Finn a wide smile that made him look approachable. He looked young; probably a few years older than Dean Schuester, and he stared at Finn with a certain sparkle to his eyes.

"Finn. Finn Hudson, it is a pleasure to finally meet you!" He took one of Finn's hands in both of his own and shook it wildly while his smile only became more vibrant. Finn looked at his coach for help but he only nodded toward the strange man, waiting for him to continue.

"Um, hi. Do I know you?" The man just scoffed and pat Finn on the shoulder, leading him away from the field and toward a more quiet area where they could chat alone.

"No, of course you don't know me Finn. But I know you. I know you quite well." Finn just stared at the well dressed man and took in his chiseled features and his bright smile. "I've been following your career for a long time. My name is Bryan. Bryan Ryan. And I am a sports agent. Hopefully I can call myself your sports agent soon."

Finn had to make sure his mouth wasn't gaping open in shock before he could find the right words to say next. "You're a sports agent? What do you want with me?"

Bryan looked at him like he had three heads. "Finn, my man, you've got one of the best throwing arms I've seen in years! I've been following your football career here at OSU and I must admit, I'm impressed with your talent." Whipping out a card with his name and number on the front, he passed it over to Finn quietly while he read it in disbelief. "You've been here at OSU long enough to attract the attention of a lot of people, son. You can be a great athlete and go pro! If you hire me as your agent, we can start the process of getting you into the draft. You could be in the NFL by next year if you worked hard enough." The words _draft_ and _NFL_ were swirling around in his head so strongly it felt like he would drown in the fantasies. He looked up at Bryan with stars in his eyes.

"What do I have to do?" Finn asked automatically, already lured into the promises of NFL glory. Bryan's returning smile was sly and satisfied

"Right now, you _train_ and _win_. The more press that gets built up around you, the better. You have to train harder and focus more on football than ever before." Finn just stood there, absorbing every single piece of information that sprung from his mouth like it was the law. Finn had never truly considered the life of a professional athlete. Sure, football had gotten him into college, but he had never expected it to take him any further than that. This was the opportunity of his dreams; to really be like Brett Favre and become the NFL star of his childhood fantasies.

He was filled with excitement and awe as he shook Bryan's hand once again, this time filling the role as the enthusiastic party while Bryan just beamed back at him. "Ill be at your game this Saturday, and if you win, it will only draw more attention to you and your amazing season. After that we can make it official and I can start the process of representing you. Do we have a deal, my friend?" Looking at Finn expectantly, he was waiting for an answer while Finn's mind was moving faster than ever before. He truly knew nothing about this whole process, as much as he'd fantasized about it throughout his life, he was wary to trust this perfect stranger who had appeared out of the blue. But Bryan was promising things that Finn just couldn't ignore, and he smiled tentatively before shaking the mans hand a final time.

"Deal."

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It was late when Finn finally returned back to the apartment after his exciting day. Now that Bryan Ryan had popped out of nowhere and put all these NFL ideas in his head, he was feeling rather cocky. He was going to be a _star_, a professional football player. Not even the biggest diva in the world would be able to resist him and his talents; actresses, models. . . _supermodels_. He was feeling very full of himself when he entered the house, so much that he'd forgotten about all he previous tension he'd be feeling with his roommate. Just a few days ago he'd thought he was in love with her, now he felt like he shouldn't even bother. Maybe they just had too many issues.

But that all flew out the window when he saw her sitting on the couch silently, with a music book spread open on her crossed legs while she leaned her head onto her hand for support. She looked so studious and adorable, and he idly wondered how long they were going to play this dizzying game of flirtation and avoidance.

"Hey." He approached her, feeling bold, feeling way too full of himself to let this petite brunette just play around with his feelings. Waking up alone on Tuesday morning had hurt him more than he'd like to admit, and their avoidance of the other was making him lonely. She lifted up her head and spotted him standing over her while she tossed the book onto the floor.

"Hey." Was her only reply as he sat down next to her, giving her little space to move. In a rush of emotion he realized how he'd missed her so much; he just wanted to be close to her. Even if she didn't feel the same.

He was surprised at how easy it had been to pretend that nothing was wrong when she wasn't around. He could feign indifference and pretend that his feelings were an illusion when he wasn't faced with her striking beauty and penetrating eyes. Now in her presence, he knew he had to be honest; he needed to know if he was putting his trust in the right person.

"I need to talk to you about something." He didn't wait for her to respond before he continued, afraid that she would find some way to avoid him. "I met someone today. Someone who wants to represent me as my sports agent."

Her eyes became bright and enthusiastic as her face split into a blinding smile. "Thats amazing, Finn!"

"Yeah, he says that if I train hard enough I might be able to make it to the draft for the NFL." If she had been enthusiastic before, now sue was practically jumping out of her skin.

"Finn that is _spectacular_! That is such wonderful news! I knew it; I knew your talent wouldn't go unnoticed for much longer." But she could notice that something was wrong because he did not share the same enthusiasm. "Whats the matter? You don't sound as happy as I would have expected; this is your chance to really be like the guys on TV! Finn?" He looked up at the worried gaze of his roommate and didn't know how to explain his insecurities.

"I don't know if I can do it Rach, this is a lot of pressure." He ran an exhausted hand over his face and tried his best to elaborate. "I already have all of these other responsibilities and I don't know how much more I can add onto the pile. What happens if I lose and let everyone down? People have all these expectations when it comes to me and I want to make everyone happy, but this is different. This is an expectation I'm placing on myself, and I don't know if I can live up to it."

Rachel stared at Finn for a good minute after he was done unloading his issues onto her. He waited for her reaction and got nervous when all he saw was her eyes squinting into little slits of impatience.

"Finn, can I be honest with you?"

"Please, you're the only one I can trust." A rosy blush appeared on her cheeks when he said that, and he realized just a bit too late just what he'd indulged, but it was he truth. She was the only person in his life right now that he could rely on for their honesty, and he needed to hear the truth, no matter how harsh it was.

"You're being very childish." He frowned at her choice of words. Finn Hudson was the farthest thing from a child.

"Excuse me?"

"If I were in your position, and someone was offering me the chance to audition for the role of my life and to book an agent who truly believed in my talent, I wouldn't hesitate a second before saying yes and jumping on board. I think you're just afraid. Not only of the responsibility, but what would happen if all your hard work really paid off." Her eyes were calm and serene as she broke down all of his fears in front of his eyes. "You have the chance to be a _star_. Not just the big man on campus, you could be the future spokesperson for Nike! Kids would wear your jersey and wish to be like _you_ when they grew up. Your face could be on cereal boxes! You could marry a hot supermodel like Gisele Bundchen married Tom Brady!" He scoffed at that while she shot him a reassuring smile. "There's no reason to worry, Finn. This is an opportunity you just can't pass up. You wouldn't be the guy I know if you did." She placed a warm, tiny hand on top of his and he knew that she was telling the truth. This was so much bugger than he was, but he couldn't let that get in the way of this opportunity. "So are you gonna do it, Mr. Quarterback? Become the big football hero and sweep the nation?"

He grinned at her while he pulled her close to him for a grateful hug. "Yeah, I guess it's better than figuring out what to do with a theater degree in Lima, Ohio." Giggling into his shoulder, she made no move to pull away before nuzzling her face into his embrace, and he closed his eyes and started to fall under the spell that she placed upon him so easily. This is exactly what he was trying to avoid; all these mixed signals were confusing the hell out of him and there was no way to tell what Rachel was thinking.

"Rach, there's something else." She pulled away from his shoulder with a quizzical look on her face and he almost faltered before closing the distance between them with a hesitant kiss. She stilled for an instant before reciprocating in earnest, leaning into him and sighing lightly against his mouth. He'd missed this _so_ much.

When he finally pulled away she looked torn, and he knew he had to finally get all these emotions off of his chest once and for all and figure out if this relationship was going anywhere. "Rachel, what are we doing?"

She licked her lips and looked away from him, guiltily. "I'm not sure."

"Because you climbed into bed with me the other night and we were kissing and stuff, and that was great; that was really special. But then you didn't even wait for me to wake up before slipping out of bed the next morning and I woke up alone. That really sucked."

She looked a tad guilty, but her head was held up high and her voice was steady. "I told you I wasn't interested in a relationship and I meant it."

"So what do you call this?" He motioned between the two of them and her brow creased with worry.

"Convenient." Ooh, burn. That hit him below the belt.

"Wow, Rachel. Just wow." What else could he say?

"Finn, please..." She wanted to elaborate but he interrupted her and wouldn't allow her to continue.

"I know you've been hurt in the past, but I've been hurt too, and you can't just assume all guys are going to dick you over in the long run because it's not true. _I'm not Jesse_. I'm the farthest thing _from_ Jesse. If you would just give me a chance, I can prove that it's the truth. But I can't let you play games with me like this, because I've been through my own version of hell too, and I was just starting to trust you." There. He finally said it. Now that it felt like the weight of the world was off of his shoulders, he waited to hear Rachel's response with bated breath. The ball was in her court now, he'd said his peace.

Her eyes were glazed with sadness while she sat and listened to his confession. He could have sworn he'd seen the shimmer of tears in her eyes but they disappeared as quick as he'd spotted them. "Finn, the truth is that I really like you."

She really liked him? She sure had a funny way of showing it! "So, what's the problem? I really like you too, so there should be no issue now!"

"Please, let me finish." She tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear as he waited for her to elaborate. "The fact that we like each other isn't the issue. The problem is that I like you too much and I don't want to ruin what we have now by putting labels on this."

He wasn't following her logic. "Huh?"

"Once we cross that line and put labels on our relationship, I'm afraid that we're going to wind up hating each other in the end, just like things were with Jesse. I don't want to wind up hating you. I don't want to have fights over stupid things or grow to resent you or go through another messy breakup. I can't. Not with you; you mean too much to me."

"So let me get this straight. You don't want to date me because you like me _too_ much?"

"Correct."

"And you would rather continue having this no-strings-attached relationship were in now instead of committing to us as a couple?"

"Yes, like I said, this arrangement is rather _convenient_." Well, this might be the most fucked up conversation he'd had with a girl, ever. "But that doesn't mean that it will never happen; I'm just not ready to be someone's girlfriend again yet." She shot him a sexy smirk that made his heart pound in double-time as her voice became teasing. "Besides Mr. Football star, you can have any girl you want! You know it, I know it. You can find your own Gisele!"

"What if I want_ you_ to be my Gisele?" His voice was low when he said this and there wasn't a trace of teasing in his tone. He was serious, and he tried to convince her of his honesty as he captivated her in his gaze.

"I'm nowhere near as hot as a supermodel of her caliber." She said with sadness seeping into her tone.

"No, you're hotter." Looking up at him with disbelief etched into her face, he pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her and breathing in the scent he loved so much. Things might be complicated for them now, but at least he knew she felt the same. Being scared of commitment wasn't a crime; it was just inconvenient. If she needed more time, then he would give her all the time she needed. He wasn't going anywhere.

Kissing her neck hungrily, he could hear her low moans as her nails scratched his neck and shoulders, leaving a trail of fire in her wake. She'd called their relationship "convenient" and he was going to take advantage of this convenience and reap the benefits for once. Living in such close quarters with someone like Rachel was becoming exhausting, and he was going to get what he wanted out of this arrangement for once. From the way she was reacting to his caresses and kisses in his arms, he could tell that she wanted this too.

He pulled her onto his lap until she was straddling his waist, wrapping her legs around his midriff and sending delicious sparks of pleasure down his spine. Looking down at him from her position, her brunette hair framed her face as she smiled brightly at him. "Lets go into my room. I have that big new bed that needs to be broken in." She winked at him while he slowly understood the implication, and he lifted both of their bodies off of the couch with ease, holding Rachel steady by her ass and grinding close to her. When he felt her rub up against his erection purposefully, his eyes almost rolled back into his head from the feeling.

He started to carry her down the hallway toward her room, trying not to hit into any walls while his lips attached themselves to Rachel's and wouldn't let go. He kicked the door of her bedroom open and she laughed against his mouth; a sweet sound that made his heart soar and his head swim. He plopped himself on the corner of her bed while she balanced her weight on his lap and the mattress, all the while continuing the assault on his lips. Things between them might be odd, but at least he knew he wasn't the only one enjoying this when she was the one who had reached down and started to pull on his belt buckle. Grabbing her by the wrists softly, he forced her to make eye contact with him while he voiced his concerns. "Rachel, are you sure about this?" Having sex with Rachel might have been on his mind a lot lately, but he wanted to make sure that this was what _she_ wanted as well. She smiled at him softly while she pulled her blouse over her head, exposing him to her lacy bra and creamy skin. His mouth went as dry as the desert as he took in the sight of her bare skin and he licked his lips in anticipation/

"I'm sure, Finn. I really care about you, and just because I'm not over my own issues with relationships, doesn't mean that we can't have some fun." Her answer was enough to satisfy him as he reached for his pants and stripped off his clothes. Stalking towards the bed, the last thing he did before taking Rachel into his arms was shut the door, which he realized later was really silly.

It's not like anyone was going to walk in on them.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Waking up in the strange bed was disorienting, and it took him a minute before realizing where he was when he opened his eyes in the bright bedroom. The bed was far too big to be his own, and he knew for a fact that he didn't have any posters with cats playing in the grass, hanging up on the walls of his room. But as he turned over and collided with the naked body of his roommate, the events of the night before came rushing back to him in a flash of recognition.

He had sex with Rachel last night. His roommate. His friend.

And it had been _awesome_!

It had to be super early because Rachel was still sleeping lightly next to him, her bare chest rising and falling with every soft puff of breath. Even though he normally didn't wake up this early in the mornings, he figured he should probably get a head start on his day. He had football practice and training all afternoon for the game tomorrow, especially now that he was being scouted by sports agents. But he felt bad just getting out of bed and leaving Rachel there alone. Sure, she had done the same thing to him only a few days ago, but that was different. They'd had _sex _last night; that's not just something you can walk away from. Luckily, she started to moan softly in her sleep, and she opened a sleepy eye and yawned right in his face while he looked on in amusement. "You're here."

"Of course I'm here." His voice was still gritty with sleep and she smiled into her pillows.

"I was afraid you would go for the payback route. Sneak out before I woke up to get back at me for Tuesday."

"No way. I told you, I'm not like that. You can trust me." She reached across the blankets and caressed his face softly, which was leaning in close to hers for a kiss.

"Yeah, I really can." He placed his lips upon hers for the sweetest kiss while she wiped the sleep out of her eyes. Her smile was as bright as the sunlight that seeped through the curtains as she pulled back the sheets and literally hopped out of bed. He frowned and yawned at the same time.

"Hey, where are you going?" He said with a pout while Rachel pulled a bathrobe over her naked body. He wished he could pull her right back into her bed and re-enact the events from last night, but she was already halfway out the door.

"I'm going to make us some breakfast! We need some energy after the activities from the night before and I'm craving some apple pie pancakes. You in?"

He was up and out of bed faster than he ever thought possible, already slipping on his boxers while Rachel watched with an amused grin. "Oh hell yes. You better watch out, Rachel. This is something I could get used to."

She shot him a small wink before she started to walk down the hall toward the kitchen. Forgetting that the walls were paper thin, he overheard her talking to herself and smiled.

"Me too, Finn. Me too."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Until Next Time. . .**sings** Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	9. Complications

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: A special shout-out to holygoof101 for helping me with all the information about College Football and NCAA rules/regulations. You rock my socks!

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Nine: Complications  
**  
The kitchen was a _mess_. Dirty dishes, caked with pancake batter, were piled up in the sink just waiting to be cleaned along with the greased up pans and plates that were stacked on the stove-top. Utensils and cups half-filled with juice and coffee were still littering the table, and there was even a plate of uneaten pancakes resting on the counter-top, probably already cold and stale. It was the rare occasion to see the kitchen in such a state, and the room looked like it was _begging_ to be cleaned.

But neither roommate cared, for they were a little bit _preoccupied_ with other activities.

Rachel was draped over Finn on the couch, straddling his lap as she rode his length up and down, her head thrown back in a reckless abandon with her hair fanning behind her wildly. Looking up at her from below, Finn grabbed her bouncing breasts in his hands, rubbing her nipples in-between his fingertips and reveling in the sound of her low moans as his hands groped her silky skin. Her face was a vision of bliss with her mouth puckered open in a haggard cry, and her eyes were pinched shut in ecstasy.

He lifted his hips to match her thrusts, pumping into her, watching her face while she continued to writhe on top of him mercilessly. His hands rested tightly on her hips, guiding her body up and down his length as her moans became almost musical in tone. His eyes began to roll into the back of his head as the pleasure became too powerful, and he knew that she was close from the way her breathing sped up, along with her movements. When she threw her head back once more, gripping him around the neck as her nails dug into her skin, he knew she was almost at her peak. Picking up speed for her, it only took a few more thrusts before she was screaming his name in their living room, weaving her fingers into his hair and holding onto him for dear life. After she had slumped onto his chest, it took only a few more moments of delicious buildup before he came powerfully, gasping for breath as the consuming fire spread throughout his body, almost singing him alive.

He rode the waves of his orgasm with her still shaking on top of him, her face flushed in a crimson glow while small beads of sweat gathered on her forehead. When he finally snapped out of his sexual stupor, he stared up at her while she lifted her hips, and he slipped out of her while she maneuvered herself onto his lap into a comfortable embrace. She giggled as he placed soft kisses down her neck and chest while she did this, taking advantage of their nakedness before they had to get dressed. It was still ridiculously early, but they had a whole day ahead of them; Finn had an important practice that afternoon, and Rachel was auditioning for the fall production of the play _Antigone_. She started to giggle into the crook of his neck while he held onto her body on the couch.

"What's so funny?" He whispered into her hair.

"Nothing." But her giggles continued as he playfully tickled her sides. When she let out a small squeak in surprise, he joined in, his laughter bubbling up around them. "You're making this too easy."

"What do you mean?" She waved her arms in-between them and around the apartment.

"This! Being with you and still living together. It's a lot easier than I thought it would be." He grinned at her while the morning sun reflected off of the highlights of her hair and gave her olive skin a sun-kissed glow.

"Yeah, it really is. Don't worry, I'm gonna win you over soon enough." Leaning towards her, he captured her lips in a slow, teasing kiss as she smiled into his lips. "But I have a busy day ahead of me. I'm gonna spend my afternoon in the weight room, then maybe squeeze in an hour of tech time before I have practice tonight. I have to be in top shape for the game tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be talking to this Bryan guy soon." She hopped off his lap and picked up the bathrobe that she had discarded after breakfast while she tossed him his boxers.

"Do we have plans for tonight?" She made her way into the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess they'd made before with breakfast, as he went into his room and started to gather his things, ready to start his day. Even though it was still early by his standards, he'd never felt so _refreshed_. He smiled to himself as he pulled on his workout clothes and collected his gear to drop off in the locker rooms.

"I don't know, that sounds like something that boyfriends and girlfriends do. Make plans and stuff." His voice was teasing, even though the conflict he felt about their little arrangement was real. "But I shouldn't be home late because of tomorrow's game, so maybe we can watch a movie. Hang out." _Maybe try and see how long we can go without having sex again. . ._

She turned away from the sink to shoot him a wink and a smile before continuing with her chores. "That sounds great. Have a great day, Finn."

"Yeah, you too. Good luck on the audition." He dragged his gear down the staircase and out to his car, losing a bit of the spring in his step the more he thought about his relationship with Rachel. Yeah, the sex was amazing, but where was this all going? She said she didn't want to put labels on this relationship they had, but being with her already felt like he had a girlfriend, and he wondered how much longer she was going to have this issue with their status. He felt weird about it, like their roles were somehow reversed; normally it was the girl who pushed for commitment from a guy, and he found himself in the awkward position of wanting more while Rachel wanted less.

It was jarring. And awkward.

At least he was still getting laid.

He pulled into the parking lot of the sports complex, heading for the locker rooms to drop off his gear before hitting the weight rooms. Remembering his conversation with Bryan Ryan from yesterday, he tried to push his roommate-relationship drama out of his mind so he could focus on football. If they won the game tomorrow then their record would continue to be spotless, which would only be better for Finn and his aspirations to go pro. When he walked towards his locker, the room was mostly empty, save for a few familiar faces.

"Hey bro. Wow, _someone_ looks like he's in a good mood. Get laid last night, Hudson?" Puck sent Finn a wolfish grin as Finn shrugged with a small smile on his face.

"Maybe." He gloated. "Or maybe I'm just pumped for tomorrow's game. Some guy said he was coming to see me play tomorrow, wants to cut some kind of deal with me." Finn turned to see Puck's reaction to his amazing news but the running back just stared at him with his mouth wide open while he was in the middle of slathering deodorant on his armpits. "Dude, what crawled up your ass?"

"Tell me you're joking, man. Don't fuck around with shit like that." Pucks voice was low and serious, a tone that Finn had never heard before.

Confusion muddled his brain as he absorbed Puck's reaction. What, was he jealous or something? "What are you taking about? This guy is legit, he wants me to train for the draft."

"Dude, _shut the fuck up_!" Puck ran up to Finn and put his hand over his mouth, stopping him from saying anything else. He pulled him into the showers and peeked his heads into the stalls to make sure they were alone. When the coast was clear, he removed the hand from Finn's face. His actions threw Finn off guard; normally Puck wasn't the kind of guy to be serious about anything, and he'd never seen Puck so riled up before when they weren't at a frat party or a game. He tried to lighten the tense mood. "Hey, I'm sorry, I don't swing that way but I have Kurt's number if you want it." Puck did not look amused.

"Are you some kind of an idiot or something?" There was nothing that Finn hated more than when someone questioned his intelligence, and he became instantly defensive as he pushed Puck away from him.

"Back off, Puckerman!"

"No, seriously, you've been our quarterback for two whole years, do you even pay attention to what the coach says in practice?" Finn was seriously starting to get annoyed now.

"Puck, what the _fuck_ are you talking about?"

"This guy is a_ fraud_, Finn. Coach tells us every year to stay away from sports agents or people offering you money or gifts. You can get kicked off the team and lose your scholarship if they even found out you even _talked_ to this guy. It's against NCAA rules for a player to sign with an agent before they graduate." With every word that came out of Puck's mouth, Finn's hopes sunk lower and lower until they were replaced with pure, unadulterated panic. He could get kicked out of school?

The more he thought about it, the more he could remember snippets of team meetings where the coach had talked about the rules enforced by the NCAA. But he had always dozed off in the middle of those, preoccupied with something or another while the words went in one ear and out the other.

Now he wished he'd payed attention.

"Listen, Hudson. You're a TKE and you're the QB, but you're also a pretty decent guy, so I'm going to be honest with you and give it to you straight. You have to do the whole team a favor and stay away from this agent. He's gonna get you kicked out of school and the team can't afford to lose you. I wont say anything about this to anyone, and you have to do the same. If anyone on the staff found out about this, they'd flip out and report you."

"Why did this guy even bother then? What does he want from me?" Puck shrugged, looking sympathetic as he exited the shower area.

"I don't know man, but I would stay away from him. There _are_ ways for you to get into the draft, but it's all shady. He sounds like nothing but trouble." With that, Puck left Finn alone in the showers, his head buzzing with feelings he couldn't begin to sort out. He was being targeted for some reason and he didn't know why, and he started to panic when he thought about the repercussions of his actions.

Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out the card with Bryan Ryan's number on it and tore it up, feeling deflated and crushed all at once. It felt like he'd been teased with promises that were suddenly ripped away from him, and it was shocking how fast things could change from better to worse. He'd been offered his wildest dreams; he should have known it would come with a price.

What was he gonna do? The only people who knew about Bryan Ryan was him, Rachel and Puck, and while he trusted Rachel, he couldn't say the same about Puck. But he could only hope that he was on Finn's side as he headed for the weight room to work off all of this frustration that continued to bubble up under the surface. As he set the treadmill for a full-out run, he focused on the exertion of energy to keep his mind off of his mounting list of problems.

It was going to be a _long_ day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Finn returned home that night after a stressful day of training and trying to ignoring his problems, he wondered how he was going to tell Rachel about all this mess. She'd been so enthusiastic about him being a football star, he was afraid it was the reason they'd started hooking up in the first place. What would she think of him if she knew he was so gullible as to talk to an agent when he should have known it was against the rules? His head was a mess as he entered the apartment to find Rachel sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Hey," her voice was bright and musical when she greeted him, but his inner turmoil was preventing him from acting like a human being as he stalked towards his room without answering her. "Finn?" Her voice traveled down the halls as he started to strip naked in his room, needing a shower and some time alone to think. But a knock on the door disrupted him, and he looked up to see Rachel standing in his doorway with a huge frown marring her face. At least he was still in his boxers; this time not the Family Guy ones.

"Hey," his manners were shit tonight but he was too preoccupied with thoughts of lost scholarships and shady agents floating around in his head.

"What's up? Are you alright?" The concern in her tone was eating away at the defenses he'd put up, but he had to focus on his problems and think of a solution that will make his troubles disappear. He nodded his head swiftly as he gathered his things for the shower.

"Yeah, it's been a rough day. Big game tomorrow." He tried to avoid eye contact so she couldn't see through his lies as he debated on whether or not to tell her the truth about Bryan Ryan. But she distracted him from his inner conflict by wrapping her arms around him from behind and planting a soft kiss on his back. He froze in place while the heat of her tiny kiss set his body on fire, and it felt like all of his troubles flew out the window with her innocent touches. Rachel was the perfect distraction from his problems, and all his worries from before melted away until he couldn't remember why he'd been so upset in the first place. He turned around to her with a soft smile and took her into his arms. "How about you? How was the audition?"

"Amazing, as usual. I got the part of Antigone and I'm really excited." Her glowing smile made him feel like the day had been spent in the laziness of her bed instead of the training field as her hands started to roam over his body teasingly. His roommate sure could be feisty when she wanted to. "But go take your shower. I'll be waiting for you when you get out." Winking at him while she backed out of the room, he finished gathering his things and headed for the shower where he could take a minute to focus on his problems without his. . .what should he even call her? His girl-mate? His room-friend? In any case, without _Rachel_ distracting him with sex.

As the hot water poured down on him and washed away the stress of the day, he thought about his options; about what Puck had said before in the locker room. _"There are ways for you to get into the draft, but it's all shady. He sounds like nothing but trouble." _What was this Bryan Ryan's angle? What did he want with Finn? There were plenty of seniors on the team, so why was Finn being targeted? He really wished now that he'd paid more attention during the team meetings so he could know the details of the rules; the drafting process and the agents and all that stuff. But the truth was that Finn had always zoned out for a reason. Football had always seemed like the means to an end for him. It's what got him through high school, and into college, but he never thought it would take him anywhere farther than that. What was the point in listening to all those rules and regulations if he thought it would never apply to him?

He needed to read a manual or something. Puck had said there were other, more shady, ways to get into the draft, which must be Bryan Ryan's plan.

But Finn didn't want to be a pawn in someone else's game. Especially if it could cost him everything he had ever worked for.

The hot water could wash away the sweat and dirt from the day, but it couldn't get rid of the harsh sting of anxiety he felt at his situation and how it only grew more and more complicated. This was supposed to be his _year_, he was supposed to feel like he owned this college.

Now it felt like this college owned _him_.

Right now, he had to bury away the issue known as Bryan Ryan and focus on more important things. Like the football game versus Illinois, and the fact that he was ridiculously attracted to his roommate who wanted nothing to do with relationships and labels. Those were the kinds of issues he could face head on.

He returned to his room, feeling clean yet exhausted, and he started to get dressed before he heard a soft knocking at his door. It could only be one person, and he had a feeling he knew what this person wanted, but he struggled with allowing her in or not. Is this how they were going to function from now on? Pretending that nothing was going on between them during the day while they spent the nights in each other's beds? This wasn't _normal_.

But that didn't stop him from letting her in, and by the time they passed out in each other's arms, he couldn't even remember what he'd wanted to tell Rachel in the first place.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The football stadium was a sea of red in white; almost everyone was sporting the Buckeyes' school colors and Finn smiled at the shirtless men in the stands, decked out in red clown wigs with "GO BUCKEYES" painted across their chests. He ran off the field feeling victorious after their crushing win over Illinois; that team never even stood a chance against OSU and their amazing record so far. Five wins, and no losses; their team was unstoppable this season.

The roar of the crowd followed him when he entered the locker room, and he was immediately interviewed by ESPN2 and the Big Ten football networks, giving them the run down of his thoughts processes and plays throughout the game. When he was finished, the locker room was already almost empty, and he went to go change out of his gear and shower before he bounced for the after party. He was meeting Rachel there and he didn't want to leave her alone for too long with all of his horny frat brothers.

A slow, hollow clapping filled the empty locker room, and Finn looked up to see the condescending smirk of Bryan Ryan walking towards him while Finn's blood turned into ice. He should have remembered that Bryan had promised to meet him after the game.

"Wonderful effort, Finn. It's good to know you followed my advice and kept your head in the game today," he said with a cocky lilt to his voice.

"What are you doing here?" Feeling more than a little wary, he remembered Puck's advice and knew that he shouldn't even be _talking_ to this guy. If anyone found out about this, he was a dead man. He had to get away from him, unseen.

"Just checking up on my new star quarterback. I thought we were gonna make a deal?"

Finn shook his head and stood up at full height, which was only about an inch or two taller than Bryan, but it didn't matter. "No, the deal is off. I mean, there was never any deal in the first place and you need to leave me alone."

Bryan Ryan looked wounded. "Finn, my man! What happened to you? You were so excited about this the other day and now you want to give it all up?"

Finn was starting to get angry. What was this guy's angle? "You of all people should know that we're not even supposed to be having this conversation. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Don't try to contact me again." He didn't even wait for him to respond before he decided that this conversation was over. He gathered his gear, slammed his locker shut, and maneuvered his way around Bryan without looking back. Even though it felt good to banish Bryan from his affairs, he felt a strange sense of foreboding, like this wouldn't be the last time he would see Bryan Ryan.

It made him uneasy, and suddenly he didn't feel like celebrating anymore.

It was strange how quickly his moods could change. Just the other day he thought that things were going to start getting better. He'd told Rachel how he felt about her, his football record was flawless and he was being offered deals to become a professional athlete. Now he had a roommate who couldn't commit to him, a shady agent trying to mess with him and a football career in turmoil if the news got out about Bryan Ryan.

And this was supposed to be _his_ year. The year he dominated OSU; both the campus and the football team. Now it felt like the year from hell, with no end in sight.

Instead of going to the TKE house to meet Rachel, he headed straight home, still feeling shaken from his conversation with Bryan Ryan. He still didn't know how this agent was planning on getting him to sign up for the draft if he was still playing college ball, but he knew for certain that he didn't want anything to do with it anymore. Some shortcuts were just not worth it, and he would rather die before his good name was dragged down into the mud forever.

Feeling uncharacteristically antisocial, Finn locked his bedroom door and retreated to the solitude of his man-cave for a night of reflection and loud drumming to relieve the stress that was threatening to explode. Rachel called his cell phone a few times, but he chose to ignore her and everyone else for once and focus solely on him. He needed to be alone. He needed time to think.

Rachel had returned home a little before midnight, and by then he was already in bed. He was exhausted in every single way; physically, mentally, emotionally, though sleep eluded him at every turn. He felt like a mess and he was still torn up about what to do over Bryan Ryan. When he heard her soft footprints pattering down the hallway towards his room, he knew she was probably looking for an explanation for his absence, but he couldn't summon up the energy to care. A soft knock was heard before she tested to see if the door was locked. The lock was still in place, and he heard her voice carry through the doors.

"Finn? Are you alright? What happened to you? We were all waiting for you to come to the party." He could picture her standing in the hallway, frowning, waiting for an answer to her simple questions. But what was he going to say? He was ashamed of the position he was in, and he didn't necessarily want people to know how badly he'd jeopardized his scholarship with idle promises of glory that would never come to fruition. So he stayed silent, not saying a word, and making it seem like he was already asleep when she probably knew for a fact that he rarely ever went to bed before midnight. A soft, disappointed sigh could be heard from the hallway, and the pattering of footsteps could be heard once more, this time becoming lower and lower until he heard her bedroom door close.

Terrible, crippling guilt entered his system after she'd given up on him, and now all he wanted to do was to run and seek the comfort he needed so badly. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Bryan's sinister smile, and the hidden secrets that danced in his eyes and tormented him with false promises. He crawled out of bed and made his way across the hallway, opening her bedroom door without knocking, instinctively knowing it would be open.

It was, and when he entered the room, she didn't even look surprised as she took in his anxious demeanor and avoiding eyes. She smiled softly when he pulled her onto the bed bed with him, and he found the solace he so desperately needed in her willing body.

They didn't say a word.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salut mes amis!

Until next time. . . **sings** Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	10. Nightmare

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Ten: Nightmare**

It wasn't easy the next morning; having to wake up next to Rachel in a strange sort of awkward silence when he was too afraid to tell her the truth of what had happened the night before. The thrill of yesterday's victory was being smothered by the overwhelming sense of dread that was stifling him as Rachel looked at him expectantly, waiting for answers to questions that she didn't need to ask. But he couldn't admit his own mistakes to her; he couldn't ask her to understand how badly he'd fucked things up, and what he'd unknowingly sacrificed by talking to Bryan Ryan.

So instead he'd asked for her silence. She had this uncanny way of being able to understand him without having to resort to words or explanations. So when she reached across the bed to hold his face in her hands softly, wanting answers, he blurted out the only thing he could.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone about Bryan Ryan." The shock was clearly written all over her face as she sat up in bed, holding the sheets around her body while shooting Finn a perplexing look.

"Why not?" A huge yawn roared out of her tiny frame as she looked at him with questions dancing around in her eyes. "Oh I get it! You're afraid of how people are gonna treat the big football star once the news gets out!"

He choked out a hollow laugh while he avoided eye contact so she couldn't see the raging storm of doubt and anxiety that threatened to drown him in the flood. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." A coy smile stretched out on her lips as she winked at him.

"I understand completely. As a star in training, I am more than aware of the changes that take place in a persons life when they embrace their celebrity in the public. Don't worry, Finn. Your secrets safe with me."

Some of the tension eased out of him, but he needed to be sure. Rachel couldn't know how serious this situation was, but he needed assurance that she would keep this agent debacle under wraps. "You promise me?"

"Yeah, I promise." She climbed across the bed towards him and deep down he knew his secret would be safe with her. Rachel was the only person he could truly trust, and as long as Puck kept his mouth shut he was sure his bases were fully covered. This was gonna work out. Soon enough, Bryan Ryan would be nothing but a horrible nightmare.

The next week was spent in a flurry of activity; if he was busy with other activities it was easier to forget that Bryan Ryan even existed. He went to football practice and worked himself to the bone every day, like he had something to prove to everyone. Every second he wasn't in class he was putting in hours of tech time or studying at the library, trying to keep his grades up and project the image of the perfect student. The All-American hero. No one could think otherwise.

And the nights were spent with Rachel, in her bed, finding the solace he so desperately needed in her open arms. She never asked him to explain himself or the distance she surely felt, she just let him into her space without question. The door was always open.

In her arms, he could forget about the looming threat of Bryan Ryan, and how easily he could destroy everything that Finn had been working towards. His whole future was in jeopardy if anyone found out about this, but in Rachel's room he was safe. His apartment was truly his last safe haven. His only place where he could get away from it all.

Which was why he was so hesitant to leave that weekend for Penn State. He would be hundreds of miles away from Rachel and the school; who knew what could happen while he was gone for the weekend?

Panda had arrived about a half an hour before he had to leave, and it was good to see a friend from the outside again; someone else he knew he could trust. "Thanks for coming again, Panda. I wouldn't want Rachel to be lonely while I'm gone."

Panda gave Finn a high five as he dropped his overnight bag in the living room. "No problem dude. Rachel and I are gonna have a great weekend; she won't want to get rid of me." Rachel laughed to herself as she walked Finn out to his car.

"You know, I don't think I need a babysitter anymore. I haven't seen or heard from Jesse in _ages_." Finn scoffed to himself, remembering when Jesse St. James had been his biggest problem. Compared to what he was going through now, Jesse was _nothing_. Finn shook his head while he loaded his gear into the car.

"It doesn't matter. I don't like the idea of you being here all alone. Panda is good company." She slipped her hand into his and squeezed tightly as a sad smile appeared on her face.

"I'm going to miss you." She said softly, as the light October breeze played with the errant wisps of her hair. He caught some of the tendrils and tucked them behind her ear.

"I'm gonna miss you too." That was the understatement of the year; he'd grown to rely on her so much over the past few weeks he wondered how he was even going to make it a whole weekend without her. Her patience, her compassion, her smile. Now it felt like he needed these things just to get through the day.

"No, I mean I'm _really_ going to miss you, Finn. I think that when you come home, we should talk about taking the next step in our relationship." She licked her lips while her voice became low and serious. "I'm ready now. I'm ready to be your girlfriend." As he took in her steady posture and the intense look in her eyes, he knew that she was being serious.

She was finally ready. To put aside her issues with commitment and make their relationship official.

If only he didn't have to spend the next few days in the middle of nowhere-Pennsylvania.

She grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled his face down to press her lips against his softly as he melted into her soft kiss. How was he supposed to focus on football when the sweet taste of her kiss was still tingling on his tongue?

He reluctantly said goodbye to her, wishing he could just skip the game altogether and spend the weekend talking things out with Rachel and knowing where they stood as a couple. But he knew he had to be on the bus by 6:30, so he said a final farewell to his soon-to-be girlfriend, and headed towards the football stadium with Rachel as a constant on his mind.

He parked his car about a block away from the stadium, dragging his gear out of the back and heading towards the bus on foot. Just before he was about to cross the threshold onto the stadium, he heard a familiar voice call out his name.

"Finn!" No way, this wasn't happening, not when he was practically surrounded by his coaches and other players! But his heart dropped into the soles of his shoes as he saw Bryan Ryan waving him down from where he'd parked his car. He dropped his gear where he was standing and ran over to the man who was threatening his entire football career. Just when he was starting to forget about this guy. . .

Finn was more than a little agitated when he approached Bryan, grabbing him by the expensive jacket and slamming him roughly against the side of his car. "I thought I told you to leave me alone!" He gritted his teeth and tried to make himself look as intimidating as possible. It must have been working, because Bryan started to cower under the heavy glare.

"Now, Finn, w-we don't have to resort to violence. I-I just came here to talk." There was a slight tremor in his voice and Finn tightened his grip on the frightened man and started to shake him a bit.

"What do I have to do to make you leave me alone? Huh? I'm tired of this, I want you gone!" Bryan put up his hands in a placating gesture and Finn started to back away from him. He wanted to be left alone, he didn't want to beat the crap out of the guy.

"Listen Finn, that's why I'm here. I wanted to come and apologize to you directly. I'm not going to bother you anymore, but I wanted you to hear my side of the story first." Finn checked his watch and balked when he noticed the time.

"You have one minute." He spit through his gritted teeth as Bryan Ryan started to talk a mile a minute.

"I knew what I was doing when I approached you a few weeks ago. You see, I used to be one of the top sports agents in the country. I've always had an eye for talent, and I use to be able to spot them from a mile away; the money-makers I would call them. But over the past few years, all my money-makers turned out to be womanizers and gamblers and drug addicts and I was fired from my firm." It was hard to not feel sympathy for Bryan Ryan, he looked like he was about to cry. "But then I saw you play, and I knew that you were it; man, you have the _skills_. I thought that if I could talk you into finishing out your year with OSU you would have fulfilled your eligibility and could be qualified for the draft. And I was willing to sacrifice your future in college football for my chance to get back on top, but I couldn't do it. You're a good kid, and you're gonna make some agent a ton of money one day, but not this way. You don't deserve this." He stuck out his hand and Finn shook it, reluctantly. "I'm not going to bother you again, Finn. I'm sorry I caused you all this unnecessary stress in the first place."

"So you're really going to leave me alone?" Finn was still skeptical but he was clinging onto the hope that this was all over. "And you won't tell anyone about this?"

"You'll never hear from me again, I'm leaving town tonight. I would never do anything to jeopardize your education, son. You're too good a ball player to have your name dragged into the mud because of my failures. Have a great season, Finn. Good luck." And with that, Bryan Ryan turned around and walked away from Finn, leaving him in the middle of the road with his mouth gaping open at the change in events.

Bryan Ryan wasn't going to bother him anymore.

His secret was going to be safe.

The nightmare was over.

With a confidence he hadn't felt in weeks and weeks, Finn picked his gear up out of the middle of the road and made it to the bus with only a few minutes to spare.

He had a game to win.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was much easier to focus on the game versus Penn State this weekend now that he didn't have to worry about his football career being ruined by a shady sports agent looking for his next ringer. Thoughts of Rachel had been swirling around in his head all weekend, and he couldn't wait to get home and see her. They needed to talk and sort through their relationship if this was going to work out, and he wanted it to work _so_ badly.

It was late when the bus pulled up to the football stadium, and Finn knew he had to get back to the apartment quick because Panda needed to get home. As he was walking to his car, he noticed someone leaning against it, and with a flash of dread he thought that it was Bryan Ryan again, going against his word. But he was more annoyed than intimidated when he realized it was Rachel's ex-boyfriend and his TA, Jesse, who was waiting for him with an arrogant smirk and withering look.

He wished there was a way he could just push past him and ignore him completely, but his back was leaning against the driver's side door, and Finn just stood in front of his car waiting for this little confrontation to begin. "Got an issue, St. James?"

"It's not me with the issues, Hudson." Finn had been wondering when Jesse was finally going to realize who he was. "I came here to talk about a little piece of information that a little birdie told me over the weekend."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Something about a sports agent, and making deals concerning the draft." One intimidating eyebrow raised in curiosity as Finn's blood turned into ice. How did he find out about this?

"I don't know what you're talking about." He unlocked his car and went to load his gear in the trunk while Jesse followed him, a mocking sneer on his face.

"I think you do. Been making deals with agents Finn? Because I did some research into the rules of the NCAA and it explicitly states that any conversing with agents can result in an expulsion from the team. Aren't you here on a scholarship, too? Well, this doesn't bode well for you if the team were to find out about this." His heart started to hammer wildly in his chest as the implications of this conversation started to sink in. Jesse was going to tell everyone about Bryan Ryan. Even though the agent had promised to leave him alone, they had still conversed on more than one occasion, which was more than enough to get him kicked off the team and out of school.

He turned around to face Jesse and he had to fight to keep his voice calm. He gripped the back of his car to still his shaking hands. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. I want nothing from you. No one has to know about this, Finn. We can make this our little secret." But staring into the eyes of the snake, Finn could see the wheels turning, and he knew that there had to be a catch. Jesse hated Finn, he wasn't going to just let this go down without a fight.

"Just say it, Jesse. What do you want out of this?" Jesse's eyes shrunk into little slits of fury as his fist pounded on the back of the car.

"Rachel." The cold, calculating voice smothered him with spite as Finn tried to figure out what exactly he meant by Rachel.

"What do you mean?"

"I want you to kick Rachel out of the apartment. I don't want her living with you anymore."

Finn started to laugh. He couldn't help it; after all the stress and anxiety that had plagued him over the past few weeks, Jesse just seemed comical to him in that one moment. As if Finn would ever kick Rachel out of the apartment. It was completely ludicrous! But as he took in Jesse's demeanor, and the way his fists were curled up tight at his sides, he could tell that he was being serious.

"You're not joking, are you? You seriously expect me to stand here and agree on kicking out my roommate? She's practically my girlfriend now, that's out of the question." With this, Jesse's nostrils flared with rage and he looked like he wanted to attack Finn.

"Listen to me, you insipid meathead! I'm the one calling the shots here. If Rachel isn't moved out by the week of midterms, I am reporting you to the coaches and the NCAA. With every week that Rachel is still living in the apartment, your grades are gonna start falling by the letter until you're academically ineligible to play." He punched his fist onto the roof of the car and Finn knew that he meant business.

Very slowly, but with overwhelming dread, it finally started to sink in that this was really happening; Finn was being _blackmailed_. If he didn't do what Jesse was telling him, he was going to get kicked off the team, and out of school. His whole life would be over before it even began if he didn't find a way to get Rachel to move out.

But he didn't _want_ Rachel to move out; he needed her. He cared about her more than anyone else in his whole shitty existence and he was borderline in love with the girl. He trusted her, and he would be damned if he lost her over a jealous ex-boyfriend with a grudge.

"What if I refuse? What if I call bullshit and deny your accusations?" Scoffing at him condescendingly, Jesse approached him until he was seriously invading his personal space.

"No one's gonna believe you. They'll think you're covering it up, and you know that's what it will sound like. They'll open an investigation and rip your life apart. Besides, think about it this way; Is Rachel really worth it?"

Finn pushed Jesse away from him forcefully, reveling in the fact that he stumbled slightly before regaining his balance. "Of course she's worth it!" Jesse started to laugh at him, a dull hollow sound. "What's so funny?"

"Finn, you gullible fool. How do you think I came across this juicy piece of information?" It took Finn a second to think his question through. Only three people knew about this besides Finn. It couldn't have been Bryan, because he said he was skipping town. It couldn't have been Puck because he'd been away with him and the team all weekend. The only other person who knew about this was. . .

No. _No way_.

"You're lying! Rachel would never tell anyone about this, I _trust_ her." Jesse looked offended.

"Finn, I might be a controlling douche, but I am not a liar. Go home and ask her for yourself. And don't forget, midterms are in two weeks. Good luck with those." And with that, Jesse shot Finn one final smirk before disappearing into the night, leaving Finn alone in the brisk October chill. Finn stood outside of his car like an idiot for a few good minutes, going over exactly what had just happened and what he was supposed to do now. He climbed into his car, ready to go home and prove that this was all a mistake. Rachel would never betray him like this. Jesse was just trying to get the process started and turn him against Rachel, to make it easier for him to kick her out.

Yeah, that _had_ to be it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Finn burst into the apartment, furious and full of questions when he spotted Panda and Rachel sitting in front of the TV actually watching an episode of _Family Guy_ while waiting for Finn to get home. Under any other circumstances, watching Rachel guffaw to the hijinks of the Griffin family would be something he'd pay to see, but not tonight. Tonight he wanted answers. He wanted this sinking feeling of betrayal to go away; he'd never wanted to feel it again after high school, but now it was churning in his stomach and making him ill. This had to be some kind of a misunderstanding. Maybe Jesse and Bryan Ryan had been working together from the beginning and were trying to place the blame on Rachel. There just had to be another explanation.

"Hey bro, awesome game!" He could tell that Panda was just trying to be friendly, but Finn was in far from a friendly mood. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time that anger and fury had filled up his every pore like this. Finn was upset, exhausted, and damaged in every way possible. He needed his answers, and he didn't care how harsh he sounded.

He grabbed Panda's overnight bag and threw it at his ex-roommate, "Go home, Panda. We won't be needing your services again." Panda looked at him with confusion clouding his gaze as Rachel stared at him in shock.

"Yo, man, what's up? Talk to me." The anger and frustration was too much to bear, and Finn exploded on Panda, releasing some of the tension that had been building up on the guy he once called his roommate and friend.

"Don't you have a bong to smoke somewhere? I said _go home_!" A harsh gasp escaped Rachel's throat and Panda looked at Finn like his words had wounded him. With a firm nod, he picked up the overnight bag and dejectedly headed towards the door. He left without another word while Rachel looked at Finn like he was a stranger.

"What was that about, Finn?" He refused to make eye contact with her; he was already ashamed of the way he was acting, how was he going to be able to get through this conversation? What was going to happen if it was the truth, and Rachel had truly betrayed him? "Why did you kick Panda out like that? I've never seen you act this way before!" She was right; in all the weeks they had lived together, not once had he ever been so full of rage.

She was in for a rude awakening.

"We need to talk." His voice didn't even sound like his own as he tried to choke out the words. They came out as grunts, low and harsh. "When was the last time you spoke with Jesse?" Her shocked look turned into one of confusion.

"Finn, I don't understand what's going on." He felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside; like these two extremes of his personality were clashing and he didn't know who would be the winner. As much as he cared about Rachel, he knew that this could ruin everything, and his easy-going, compassionate nature was dueling it out with anger and rage. "You're scaring me."

"_I'm fucking scaring myself_!" He screamed and Rachel started to inch away from him in fear. But she had no where to go, nowhere to hide. " Answer the question, Rachel. When was the last time you spoke to Jesse?"

"I saw him on Saturday. He stopped by my play rehearsal and tried to cause trouble, but I told him to leave me alone." His hopes were beginning to sink lower than he ever thought possible as his mouth tried to form the question he was dreading to ask.

"Did you tell him about me and the agent?" Her frightened demeanor quickly morphed into fear as she realized what was going on. Her voice became very small, and for a second, he realized how tiny this girl really was.

"Finn, I can explain. . ."

No. No, no, no.

"Rachel, you didn't!" A crippling feeling almost choked him as she confirmed what Jesse had told him in the parking lot. "H-How could you do this to me?"

She was the one who told Jesse about the agent.

After she'd promised not to tell _anyone_.

She'd _betrayed_ him.

"It's not what you think! Please let me explain." What could she say to make this any better? What would justify spilling out his deepest secret to the guy who had the biggest vendetta against him? But there was still some part of him that cared about her, fighting against the anger that was threatening to consume him whole, and he waited for her to continue. "He came to my rehearsal and was begging for me back, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Then I told him that I was moving on and I had found someone else; someone who was going to be a bigger star than he would ever be. Someone who was talking to agents about the draft. . ."

"Enough!" It felt like she was twisting the knife deeper and deeper into his back with every syllable and he couldn't hear any more of this. "That's it, Rachel? You promised me that you weren't going to tell anyone and you run your mouth off to the one person who probably hates me the most so you could brag about me?"

"I don't see what's the big deal, Finn! Why are you so angry about this; people were going to find out eventually about the agent." Now he was officially spiraling out of control, and his vision was fogged with red as he kicked over one of the dining room chairs while Rachel looked on in horror.

"No! They were never _supposed_ to know, Rachel. College athletes are forbidden to speak with agents of any kind before they graduate. Bryan Ryan was a fucking fraud and if anyone from the team found out I'd been talking to him, then I'm screwed. They'll kick me off the team and out of school. My life will be over."

"But, I thought. . . You seemed so excited about him. . . You didn't tell me. . ." But he didn't need to justify his actions from the past, the future was all that mattered now.

"I saw Jesse tonight Rachel. He's threatening to tell the school."

"No, I'll talk to him. I promise, I'll fix this."

"You'll fix nothing! Don't talk to _anyone_ about this. You've done enough!" He practically screamed at her and he knew he'd heard enough. "How could you do this to me, Rachel? I _trusted _you." She looked like she was shaking and he could see the tears filling up her eyes. Before today he would have held her close and wiped ever single tear from her face. Now he wanted to let her cry; let her feel half the pain he'd been dealing with over the past few weeks.

"Finn, _please_, I am so sorry. . ." He cut her off with a wave of his hand as he grew resigned to his new reality. It felt like his heart was turning to stone in his chest; like all the sympathy and compassion he had once felt for Rachel had turned into bitterness and betrayal. He couldn't live like this, and he knew what had to be done.

Rachel had to be out of the house by midterms.

That's the way it had to be.

"I'm the one who's sorry, Rachel. I'm sorry I ever trusted you in the first place. I should have known the second I opened up my heart to another girl they would find some way to trample all over it, but I never thought it would have been you." He looked her straight in the eyes and watched as the tears poured freely down her face. "I'm _done_ with you." And with that he started to walk to his room, turning his back on the girl he thought he'd loved, and closing himself off in his room where there was nothing to keep him company but his rock-solid heart the broken look on Rachel's face.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Until Next Time, **sings** Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


	11. A Living Hell

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

**Close Quarters**

**Chapter Eleven: A Living Hell**

He thought it would be simple after that night. A fight like theirs just couldn't be forgotten easily, and he was convinced that she wouldn't want to live another second in the apartment with her volatile roommate who had spoken to her so brutally.

But he should have known that nothing was easy when you lived with Rachel Berry.

She didn't give up without a fight.

For the next few days, she had tried everything to try and get him to talk to her again. He was avoiding her at every turn: waking up at the crack of dawn so he could be out of the apartment without seeing her, and staying out until late at night so he could sneak into his room without being seen. She had left him plates of cookies, brownies, letters of apology; _the works_. He didn't know how to respond to them, so they went untouched and ignored. Sometimes he heard her knocking lightly on his door late at night, hoping against hope that he would open up to her and talk things through. Those were the hardest to ignore, but he had to.

The worst part was that he wasn't even _mad_ at her anymore. It didn't take long for the anger he'd felt that night to turn into a massive, choking guilt; guilt for the way he'd spoken to Rachel, guilt that he hadn't told her the truth from the beginning, and the overwhelming guilt that she would have to suffer for his mistakes.

The anger he felt now was turned inwards; he was furious at himself for being a pawn in Jesse's game and not having control in his own life anymore. He was angry at the people who thought that they had a right to mess up his plans. It felt like he was a puppet these days, and more and more people kept pulling his strings until they threatened to snap. All he wanted was to find comfort in Rachel's arms and forget about the drama that his life had become. Now it seemed like his life was a living hell, and he couldn't do anything about it. But besides the guilt and the anger that had been a constant all week, he was just plain sad. He missed Rachel, but he had to kick her out. She didn't deserve this; where was the justice?

His avoidance of his roommate had been successful all throughout the school week. It was easy to find things that needed to be done around campus; he had spent hours in the library studying for the looming threat of midterms and in the theater for tech time. The weight room and the training field was where he spent the majority of his time, and he always had an ear out for any comments made by the coaches or the other players about him. Thankfully, they were still unaware.

It wasn't so easy to avoid her on Saturday, when there was nothing to distract him during the morning before the game versus Indiana. He had woken up late to the smell of apple pie pancakes and his heart dropped into his stomach. She was pulling out the big guns now, trying to get back on his good side, and he didn't know how much longer he could close himself off in his room before he had to emerge and get ready for the game.

Yelling at her hadn't worked. Ignoring her hadn't worked. He was going to have to confront her in some way, but how? He barely had the strength to look at her he was so ashamed of himself, how was he going to get her to leave the house without completely destroying whatever relationship had been cultivated in the apartment?

Taking a deep breath, he crawled out of bed and made his way into the bathroom to start his day. Under the hot steam of the shower, he tried not to focus on the inevitable conflict that was looming on the horizon, and tried to pinpoint the second his life had fallen into such disarray. He failed miserably and cursed the horrid luck that had been plaguing him all year. He never wanted the shower to end, but unfortunately Finn could no longer delay his busy afternoon. Sooner or later he would have to talk to Rachel about this; he might as well go and talk to her like an adult instead of ignoring her like a child. He got dressed and ready for the game before finally emerging from the bedroom and walking towards the kitchen.

She was sitting at the table, staring at the large heap of apple pie pancakes like they had the answers to all her questions. The kitchen was clean besides the huge stack of his favorite breakfast food that was waiting to be eaten. He stood in the doorway for a minute, frozen. He couldn't do this to her; she already looked so broken.

"Hey," he said, softly, while her head whipped up in surprise. She stared at him with blank eyes until her lips turned up into a surprised smile.

"Finn!" She jumped out of her seat and leaped towards him, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him to the table so he could eat his breakfast. He let her guide him around the kitchen, feeling horribly guilty for what he was about to do. "I thought you would never talk to me again! I was so worried."

"Rachel, there's something I need to talk to you about." He tried to continue, but Rachel cut him off before he had the chance to explain.

"Please, Finn. There's something I've been dying to tell you all week. Please let me go first." Her eyes were wide and pleading, her hands were clasped together like she was begging, and he just couldn't say no to her. She deserved to speak her peace.

"Go ahead." _That's it Finn, keep delaying the inevitable. . ._

She straightened out her posture and sat up as straight as she could, tucking her hair behind her ear and taking a deep breath. "I can't even begin to explain how truly sorry I am that I let your secret slip to Jesse. It was contemptible and deplorable and I am so ashamed of myself." He could see the guilt burning in her eyes which made him feel even worse; she shouldn't have to feel guilty for his mistakes. "But truly, I meant no harm, and I was only trying to get him to leave us alone." She reached across the tale to place he hand on top of his and the simple comfort he received from the gesture was more than welcome when he was positively buzzing with anxiety. "Because I was serious when I said I wanted to be with you, and I should have told you this a long time ago." She held onto his hand in a death grip, afraid that he would let go. "But I'm _in love_ with you. I think I've been in love with you since the very first week I moved in but I was so scared and stupid to admit it out loud. I should have never let my insecurities get in the way of what we had because it was so real and so beautiful and I want it back. Please Finn, I love you."

She was begging him for an answer, but his brain had officially stopped working once the confession of love had escaped her lips. He continued to stare at the petite girl who had bewitched him in every way possible; the girl who was now asking for his forgiveness when he was the one who should be begging for hers. There was no way he could kick her out of the apartment now. His mouth started to open and close like a fish out of water, and a twinge of panic entered her gaze. "Finn? Please, talk to me. Say something."

He couldn't. How was he supposed to respond to that and still fulfill the terms of the blackmail? His heart was telling him to kick her out, to save himself and his future. But his heart was screaming at him to take her into his arms; to tell her the truth and reciprocate her feelings. Hadn't he loved her from the very beginning as well? As much as he'd tried to deny it over the past six weeks he knew that there was a certain bond that he had with Rachel that he'd never felt before. It was _love_. He was in love with her, and she was in love with him.

He was _so screwed_.

She was still waiting for him to say something; to respond to the confession that was currently breaking down all the barriers that he had put up around him over the past week. He felt like he was trapped in their tiny kitchen nook and he suddenly pulled his hand away from hers while he registered the broken look on her face. If he opened his mouth right now, he knew a giant, emotional "I love you" would fly off his lips without warning, so he just grabbed his gear, stood up and bowed his head sadly before turning around to leave.

"I'm sorry," was all that he was able to choke out before running to the door and leaving Rachel alone with her untouched pancakes and her confession still hanging in the air.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was no wonder why the team lost their game against Indiana. Finn was so unfocused throughout the game that he was fumbling the ball, making incomplete passes, and screwing up even the simplest of plays. The whole team was thrown off balance because of Finn, and they had officially lost their first game of the season. Thankfully, their record had been spotless until now, but the loss still stung.

Focusing on the game was hard when he knew that his roommate wasn't in the stands, cheering him on and making him feel confident and capable. He doubted she was even watching at home; she was probably furious and heartbroken, and it hurt to even think about how she must have felt after he'd walked out on her this morning. Just the thought of her sitting alone at their table with a plate of cold, untouched pancakes was enough to make him unfocused and upset.

He dragged himself down to the locker room after the game, where spirits were low and his teammates were visibly frustrated. It was unfair to blame a team's loss on one specific person, but he could feel people's eyes on him when he slumped into the room dejectedly, trying to ignore the reporters who were begging for an interview. He lifted up his head high enough to catch his teammates eyes on him, and he turned away from them all, ashamed, while he cleaned up.

What he needed was a distraction. He couldn't possibly go home now; not after what he'd done to Rachel this morning. He needed time to figure out how he was going to deal with his situation at home, but he knew that no one would be throwing a victory party tonight. No, he had to find another place to go and drown his problems in alcohol. Yeah, that's exactly what he needed to do; go the old-fashioned route and just drink until he couldn't feel feelings anymore. That was much easier than having to see Rachel's tortured, pleading face in his head all night long.

After he packed away his things, the locker room was almost completely cleared out, save for a few guys. He noticed Puck on his way out, and he jogged to catch up to his frat brother. "Puck!" He called out, and Puck turned around and gave Finn a small nod.

"What's up, Hudson?" They shook hands and Puck didn't seem mad at him for the game, so he figured he could tag along with him all afternoon instead of having to face Rachel.

"Do you know of any parties tonight? I'm looking to get trashed." Puck looked at him with squinted eyes for a second before nodding his head slowly.

"Well, I'm heading to the TKE house to pre-game. The Delta Tau's are having a huge mixer tonight and the TKE's are invited. You in?" He smiled as he shook his head. He'd found the perfect distraction; alcohol, drunk sorority girls. . .

"Yeah, I'm in. Let's bounce."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well, he had been right. Alcohol was the perfect distraction.

After a good two hours of downing every beer in the frat house, he stumbled along with his other brothers to the Delta Tau house, not too far away from his apartment, sloshed and semi-coherent. In fact, he was so drunk he forgot why he'd needed a distraction in the first place. Why was he so upset again? Right, right, his team lost the game. . .

He plowed his way through the sea of co-eds that had gathered in the small sorority house to make his way to the keg, when he felt someone pulling at him and demanding his attention. When he was pulled away from the group and into an empty room, he realized that there was more than one set of hands that were pulling at his clothes. A sly smile spread across his face when he realized that the Monaco Twins had pulled him away into a spare bedroom, and his mind started to swim with the possibilities. Both girls looked at him like was a king, which made him feel much better after the team's crushing loss.

"Hey ladies," he slurred messily. "What's going on?" The girls shot each other coy looks while they started to circle around him, trailing their hands over his shoulders and arms.

"We've missed you, Finn." Was it Trish or Anna who was speaking? He couldn't tell.

"Yeah, you never come and hang out with us anymore," the other twin said with a lilt in her tone.

"So we wanted to remind you of what you've been missing." One of the girls started to massage his back and shoulders while the other one reached over to scratch her nails down his chest. His body was starting to respond to their ministrations and he smiled wolfishly as they continued uninterrupted. The girls started to pull him down onto the large bed that was in the far corner of the room, and as Finn fell onto his back he had to adjust himself on the lumpy sheets. Rachel's bed was infinitely more comfortable than this mattress was. . .

With that one errant thought, Finn was snapped back to reality, remembering the true reason as to why he wanted to get wasted in the first place.

_Rachel._

Her heartbroken face, the blackmail, the confession of love, the looming threat of having to evict her from the apartment. Who cared about the game versus Indiana when the girl he loved was heartbroken and suffering because of him?

The girls continued to drape over him and plant kisses on his face and neck while he stared at the ceiling with his eyes wide open. As drunk as he was, the guilt and pressure from before was now intensified thanks to the alcohol, and he couldn't focus on the foxy co-eds when he knew he had to go home and make things right. He was brutally honest when he was drunk and this was going to be his chance. He had to go home and see Rachel.

He started to push the girls away from him, but they protested, hanging onto his clothes and not allowing him the space to move. He didn't want to hurt them, so he gently removed their hands from his clothes and they looked at him like he had three heads. In another life, he would have slept with the two of them in a heartbeat. But Finn was different now, he had changed. He was no longer the football stud who slept around and partied hard. She had changed him; Rachel had given his life more meaning and he couldn't use alcohol to forget that.

"Listen ladies, I am really sorry about this, but I have to go."

"You have to go? Do you have another threesome you have to attend?" The ladies looked pissed and he couldn't blame them, but he knew he was doing the right thing.

"No, I'm in love with someone else." As disappointed as the girls looked in that one moment, they nodded their heads in understanding. He went up to them and gave them high fives before he left the room, downed one more beer, and headed off into the night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When he entered the apartment, the lights were shut off, giving the illusion that Rachel was either asleep or not at home. But he knew better; she was here, and she was awake.

The alcohol that had been swimming in his system was giving him a kind of courage that he didn't normally feel, and he marched up to her door and knocked softly, hoping that she wouldn't ignore him, even though he deserved it. He had put her through much worse. Reaching for the doorknob, he turned it slowly to see if it was locked and it was, making him feel worse than ever before. Her door had always been open for him, no matter what. Now she was shutting him out, the way he had shut her out this morning.

His stomach started to churn painfully when he realized how badly he must have hurt her. The threat of Jesse's blackmail was still hanging over his head but he no longer cared. It was nothing compared to the way her broken expression pierced his every thought. It was nothing compared to how much he needed her smile and laughter to brighten up his day. He was nothing without her; he couldn't even play football properly anymore!

And he needed her to know.

"Rachel?" He tapped on her door lightly again, and he heard a slight movement coming from inside, but the door stayed shut. "Jesse is blackmailing me." He spoke to the door, because he knew she could hear him and it was easier to talk to an inanimate object than his fiery roommate. "He told me that he was going to report me to the NCAA about the agent if I don't find a way to kick you out of the apartment before midterms. That's the reason why I've been ignoring you and stuff." Would she even believe him? Did he even deserve her forgiveness? "But I don't want to do it anymore, Rach. I want to be with you again, like we were before all this bullshit had happened." He took a deep breath and let his head fall forward until it was leaning against the door. "But at the same time, football is the reason why I'm in school. If I get kicked off the team, my life is ruined, and I'll be nothing." He could hear nothing from behind the door and he continued his speech uninterrupted. "But that doesn't just erase the fact that I love you too, and I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so lost. And I'm so sorry you have to be in the middle of this." After a few seconds, there was still no sign that she was even listening to him, and he started to turn around and walk away.

He didn't make it three steps before she opened the door with tears in her eyes. Turning around to face her, she looked up at him with wet eyes and all the pain and frustration started to melt away as he pulled her towards him for a tight embrace. They stayed like that for a long time.

"It's true, isn't it?" she said, after a long, silent embrace that didn't need words. "Jesse really is blackmailing you over me?" He nodded against her and held her even closer to him, afraid that the aforementioned TA would just swoop in and steal her from his arms.

"Yeah, he told me he would lower my grades by the letter for every week you stayed. If you're not out by midterms, he's gonna tell everyone." She shook her head against him and she stomped her foot in anger.

"That's not fair! He can't do this! I won't let him do this!"

"Rachel, there's nothing we can do but follow his rules."

"No! I refuse to play his game, there has to be some way to stop him. . ." She couldn't continue, because Finn had captured her lips in a kiss that made their previous conversation obsolete as they reveled in the feeling of being together again. She was so compassionate and understanding; he didn't deserve her forgiveness, yet she had opened the door and let him in once more.

She pulled him closer to her as they made their way towards her bed, reaching for the other's clothes as their lips were tangled messily in a battle for dominance. It doesn't take long for the clothes to fly off while they lied together on the bed, their hands entwined around their bodies while nothing but moans and sighs fill the air.

She climbed on top of him first, straddling his waist while he wondered idly how he deserved her forgiveness and her love. He sat up and captured her lips in one last kiss before she pushed him onto the bed and glided him into her, making his head swim from the blissful feeling of her body. He never wanted this feeling to end; when this was over they would have to face reality again, but right now, they were lost in the other person. He could barely remember who Jesse St. James even was.

She looked down at him from above and he was captured in her intense gaze as she started to move agonizingly slow. With their eyes locked together, he realized that this was unlike anything else they had ever done. Sure, they'd had sex before, but this was different.

They were _in love_.

And that changed everything.

He soaked in every sound that escaped her lips and committed it to memory. He grabbed onto her skin like he never wanted to let go. He touched everything that was in reach and his fingertips tingled. He drowned in her, just as she drowned in him.

The languid lovemaking lasted a while, and to him it felt like he had caught up on a lifetime's worth of emotion. He had never felt so alive before; even though they'd done it on numerous occasions it was somehow different now. It felt like he was gasping for air with every wave of pleasure that crashed over his body and he never wanted it to end. But when she collapsed on top of him, sweaty and spent, he only needed a few more thrusts before he joined her in ecstasy.

The room was very quiet now. No one made a move or a sound in the small bedroom as Rachel climbed off of him and slumped onto the bed next to him. He wrapped an arms around her to pull her close, but he couldn't find the words to express what was going through his head. Unfortunately for him, she had the uncanny ability to always know what was on his mind, and she voiced the question that he hadn't the strength to ask.

"So what are we going to do about Jesse?" The silence in the room became thicker and thicker with every second that passed. His throat was dry and he had to choke out his simple answer.

"I don't know." The silence stretched on.

"I have an idea," he turned around to face her and her eyes bore straight into his, unflinchingly. "I think you should turn yourself in."

Finn shot up in bed, shocking Rachel with his sudden movement. "Rachel, are you crazy?" She looked offended and she sat up as well, using the sheets to cover up her nakedness.

"No, Finn, I am not crazy. Think about it. You approach the coaches and explain your side of the story before anyone else has a chance to explain otherwise. Were you aware of the consequences of your actions when Bryan Ryan first approached you?"

"No."

"Then you did nothing wrong, and if you explain it that way then they will have no reason to kick you off the team because it would prove that you were targeted and you didn't act of your own volition." She was begging him to see her logic, but even the thought of having to explain his scenario was scaring the shit out of him. "You need to stand up for yourself, Finn. Be the man I love and fight for what you love. Don't just give up and play by someone else's rules. Fight for football, Finn. Fight for me."

"Rachel, you don't understand. I could lose everything."

"Well you're going to lose _me_ if you don't stand up for yourself and make things right." Her arms were crossed over her chest and he could tell that this was quickly becoming an ultimatum. If he stood up for football and reported himself, he would lose the respect of the whole university and the privacy that he cherished so much. But if he hid his secret and played by Jesse's rules, he would lose Rachel, the one girl he'd ever truly loved.

Her eyes were pleading when they made contact again, and he wished there was a way he could make her understand. Football was his life; it was his everything. He would be nothing without it. A loser. A nobody. When he didn't answer her, she started to pull on her clothes, throwing Finn's at him from across the room.

"Get out."

"Rachel, please, you have to understand. . ." She interrupted him while he hastily tried to pull on his boxers.

"Oh, I understand, Finn. I understand perfectly. But I can't be with a man who can't stand up for what he believes in. Who can't stand up for what he loves. I'll be out of the apartment by morning." As tiny as she was, she grabbed him by the sleeve of his t-shirt and pulled him off her bed, pushing him out of the door while he just stood there and allowed it to happen.

"Rachel, don't do this. I love you." Her only reaction was a slight quiver to her lips before she slammed the door in his face, locking it immediately and closing him out of her space.

When he woke up the next morning, she wasn't there. A simple note was left on the kitchen table saying she would be back for her other possessions soon.

He spent the day curled up in her bed, mourning the love he wasn't strong enough to defend, and breathing in as much of her scent as possible before the smell of apple pie went stale.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Until Next Time. . ._sings_. . .Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois


	12. Breakdown

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

**Chapter Twelve: Breakdown **

Two weeks. It had been almost two whole weeks since the day that Rachel had moved out. Everything after that morning had seemed like a dense fog; his mind couldn't wrap around the fact that he'd chased her away with his stupidity and cowardice. The one girl who had truly loved and understood him, made the ultimate sacrifice to save him and he couldn't even muster the courage to make things right. He was still wondering how he had the strength to wake up in the mornings. Walking past her empty bedroom in the halls, seeing the spot where she used to keep her toothbrush in the bathroom, passing by the decorated tapestries that still hung in their living room. Everything reminded him of Rachel. He couldn't escape the void that had seeped into the apartment. It felt empty. _He_ felt empty.

The apartment was a pig sty now that Rachel was gone. He refused to clean it up because, honestly, what was the point? No one was going to be visiting him any time soon, and he lost all the motivation he'd once had to keep his home clean and tidy. Why should his personal space be clean when it felt like his entire life was one big mess?

Time had started to slow to a standstill; it felt like every day lasted a lifetime and nothing he tried could take his mind off of the drag. Midterms had come and gone and he'd barely scraped by with the grades to stay eligible for the team. His ATA grades were suffering the most because of Jesse's influence, and even though Rachel had moved out, he was sure that Jesse was still lowering his grades, if only to punish him further. He had no proof of course, but he was sure that he'd studied enough for at least a B+ when he'd barely earned a C. He was so unfocused that the coaches hadn't let him play during last week's game. He sat out and watched as his team got pummeled mercilessly, and he couldn't do anything about it.

He hadn't heard from Rachel in days and days. Sometimes he tried to show up to tech time when he knew she would be there, but she always found an excuse to leave before he could try to talk to her. Sometimes he walked into the apartment and instinctively knew that she had been there; the smell of apple pie often lingered in the air, and on the rare occasion the dishes were magically washed and put away. He had no idea where she was living now, seeing that most of her stuff was still in the house, including her bed. He could only assume that she was sleeping on couches again, which depressed him more than anything else he could possibly imagine. He was officially the biggest douche ever. More of a douche than Jesse St. James himself. He had promised her once, long ago, that he was better than Jesse; that he wouldn't hurt her in any way. That she could _trust _him. Now she was stuck in the same situation that she'd been in at the beginning of the semester; homeless, betrayed, and sleeping on couches.

Which was why he found himself outside of Dean Schuester's office on a Friday afternoon with his papers and assignments from the past few weeks resting in a portfolio in his bag. It was time to suck up his pride and be the man that he had promised Rachel he would be. It was time to fight against Jesse, and try and stand up for himself. He sat in the comfortable, welcoming waiting room, waiting for the tiny red-headed secretary, Miss Pillsbury, to give him the go ahead. He watched absentmindedly while she color co-ordinated Dean Schuester's messages by name and department as easy listening music echoed in the small room. Finn let his head fall back in an exhausted sigh as the words to the simple ballad started to float around him and stab him in the heart.

_Well I'm not meant to live alone_

_Turn this house into a home_

_When I climb the stairs and turn the key_

_Oh please be there, still in love with me_

"Mr. Hudson? The Dean will see you now." Miss Pillsbury nodded towards the door in the corner and Finn tried to gather his wits before entering the office. Rachel and the oldie that had been playing were the only things on his mind, as he swallowed his pride and tried to take the first step in fixing the mess he had gotten himself into.

Dean Schuester greeted him warmly as Finn entered the office and took a seat in front of the large wooden desk. He clumsily removed his backpack and dug through his books to find the portfolio he had brought with him. The Dean shot Finn an expectant look while he tried to figure out what he was going to say. He cleared his throat as the lyrics from that slow song resonated in his head, giving him the courage to speak out for the truth. To stand up for love.

"So what can I do for you, Finn?"

"Um, I have something I have to ask you." He straightened out the portfolio nervously in his hands and placed them on the desk. "I wanted to know if you could look over these assignments and tell me if my grades are correct."

"Excuse me?"

"I have reason to believe that my grades have been lowered on purpose and I need you to look them over so I can know the truth." The Dean's eyes shrunk into suspicious slits as Finn began to fidget anxiously in his seat.

"Finn, are you implying that my TA, Jesse, has been purposely tampering your grades with malicious intent?" Finn's head dropped as he tried to look at anything but Dean Schuester's eyes. "That's a serious accusation, Finn."

"I know! I know this sounds crazy, but you've got to help me, sir. Jesse is out to get me because I'm in love with his ex-girlfriend. You have to believe me, Dean Schuester. I wouldn't be saying this if I wasn't 100% sure." He was practically begging the dean for help, he was literally his only chance. If he could prove that his grades were being lowered on purpose, then Jesse would lose all credibility and no one would believe him if he leaked the information about Bryan Ryan.

"Listen Finn, I have known Jesse for years. He is a gifted performer and has never given me reason to doubt his ethics. But because you're here on scholarship for football, and you feel so _emphatic_ about it, I will go over your papers and grades with a critical eye." Grabbing the portfolio from Finn's hands, he wished he could lean over and kiss the man. "Is that all you came here to say?"

"Yes, Dean Schuester. That's pretty much it." The dean stood up to shake Finn's hand as he walked him to the door. "Actually, there was a song playing in your office before and I was wondering what it was called." The lyrics had practically been tattooed into his heart as he sung the words off-key. "_But I'm not meant to live alone, turn this house into a home. . ._"

"Ah, Dionne Warwick! _A House Is Not A Home_ is a beautiful song. I love my easy listening music. Michael Bolton, Christopher Cross. . ."

"Oh OK." He wouldn't call it beautiful; more like soul-crushing.

"Well, have a great weekend Finn. I will look over your papers this weekend. And don't forget your class assignment. _Antigone_ opens tonight and your analysis is due next week." Antigone? Rachel's show opened tonight! Suddenly his day was now filled with purpose as he checked his watch.

"Thank you, Dean Schuester. I owe you one." He rushed past the red-headed receptionist and ran to his car, trying to remember what Rachel's favorite flowers were and wondering whether or not he owned a suit.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The lights started to dim in the theater as Finn squirmed uncomfortably in the seats, waiting for the show to begin. Dressing up was never his forte; he always felt so confined. He was twisting the program around in his hands so tightly he thought it might rip, and a bouquet of two-dozen red roses rested under his seat. He couldn't remember if she'd had a favorite flower, so he figured he would go traditional and get her roses. All girls loved roses, right?

Attached to the roses though, was a card. A card that was filled with every apology he could possibly think of. A card that had all the words to _A House Is Not A Home_ written inside. That card had taken him a good hour to write, and he tried his best to explain himself and his actions. He only hoped it would be enough.

When the curtain rose, Finn automatically recognized the scenery that he had built with the other theater people, and felt pretty damn proud of himself for his contributions. Becoming a theater major might have been the best decision he'd ever made. It was only after the first actors came out on stage when he realized how old this play must be; apparently it took place in Ancient Greece and everyone was using big words and complicated phrases. He tried to keep up with it, and when Rachel finally came out on stage, he absorbed every word that came out of her mouth; even if he didn't understand it.

She looked beautiful on stage; wearing a long and flowing gown with an ornate headpiece framing her face. Her hair was done in a multitude of braids and she moved across the stage with such flawless grace that he couldn't take his eyes off of her for a second. Sure, he had heard her sing before, but watching her act was something completely different. She was captivating. She turned the lines into poetry. When her character killed herself at the very end, he was surprised to feel a few teardrops leaking from his eyes. Thank goodness it was still dark.

After the play was over, Finn collected the roses and started to walk backstage so he could see her; so he could finally talk to her and apologize and explain himself. He could see her smiling with her other cast-mates as they all took pictures, and it made him happy to see her smile. Her smile always had the power to make him feel better, and since he hadn't seen it in weeks, he soaked it in. Clutching the bouquet in his hands, he started to approach the group of actors.

That's when he saw him. _Jesse_.

He was standing with the crowd, taking pictures of the group while other friends and crew members snapped away wildly. He had a headset on, and Finn could only assume that Jesse had been the shows stage manager or something. There was no way he could approach Rachel now. If Jesse saw him then everything would be ruined.

He was such a coward. A weak, pathetic guy like him didn't even deserve a girl as amazing as Rachel was. As he turned around to leave, he saw an empty garbage can and threw the roses and the letter inside. He didn't deserve her forgiveness. Not when Jesse still controlled him like a pawn.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The locker room seemed very claustrophobic the next day. He was the starting quarterback for their game against Wisconsin, and no matter how messed up his head was, he had to try and focus on the task at hand. OSU had been on a losing streak and he couldn't help but think it was his fault. If he didn't have all this personal drama clouding up his focus, maybe he would be able to function properly out on the field.

He didn't know how much longer he could take the pressure. It felt like he was starting to break down; every day felt longer and more difficult than the last and he had no control over his life anymore. All he wanted was Rachel back; if she came home, everything would be better, he was sure of it. But she would probably never forgive him for what he'd done and maybe it was for the best. She deserved more than a coward and a fool.

He put on his pads and his gear while the coaches all rallied around the team, trying to pump them up for the game. He idly wondered if Rachel would even show up, but then remembered that she had a show to perform tonight, so that was definitely a no. He always felt more confident when he knew she was watching him play, but he would find no solace in her presence today. His confidence was waning, fast.

But he still had to play the game. The team ran out onto the field and the familiar roar of the crowd deafened him while he tried to focus and clear all the noise out of his head. While Wisconsin wasn't the best team they had ever played, they had an amazing defense, and Finn had to be on his toes during every single play. But with every snap of the football, Wisconsin dominated them. They ambushed Finn with every opportunity and he was being thrown around like a rag doll. OSU couldn't gain any ground, and when they did, and interception or an incomplete turned the game around again in Wisconsin's favor.

He was exhausted by half-time, and he retreated to the locker rooms for some rest with the other teammates. He collapsed onto the bench in front of his locker when he noticed the coaches talking to a man in a dark suit. Panic seeped into his bones when the man pointed directly at Finn with a deep scowl on his face.

Uh-oh. This can't be good.

"Hudson!" The coach yelled at him from across the locker room and Finn shot to his feet faster than he thought possible, making his way over to the coaches and the unfamiliar face. The angry frowns on the faces of his coaches were making him uneasy, and he realized with panic that his greatest fear was probably coming true.

They _knew_. Jesse had finally reported him.

It was a wonder he lasted this long.

"Mr. Hudson, I am Chairman Figgins from the NCAA. You have been accused of conversing with agents and are hereby suspended from the team barring a formal hearing with your coaches and the school's administration." For some reason this felt like a dream; he felt no true attachment to reality as every head in the room turned to stare at him. "You are not eligible to conclude the game. I must ask you to take off your gear and go home."

The coach looked at him like he'd been betrayed. "Is this true, Finn?"

"Do not answer that, Mr. Hudson," the thick-accented man put up a hand to stop him. "Anything you say now could be used against you in the future. Just go home and we will contact you with further information." With that, the Chairman shook the coaches hand and left the room. He looked around at his coaches and teammates and they all looked at him with such betrayal in their eyes he could barely stand it. He dropped his head to the ground as he made his way over to his locker, undressing and putting his gear away.

Half-time was over, and one-by-one his teammates left him all alone in the locker room. The last ones to leave were Kurt and Puck. Kurt shot him a look of sympathy, and Puck clapped a hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Don't worry man. I know this wasn't your fault and it will all work out. I'll testify for you if I have to. Just stay cool for a while. Lay low." With that, he shook his head and followed Kurt out of the locker room, leaving Finn all alone.

It was quiet in the empty locker room now. The roar of the crowd could be heard faintly through the walls but in the sweaty, dank room that smelled like feet, he was all alone.

He had sacrificed everything to keep this a secret; his grades had suffered, Rachel had left him. Everything he had done was for _nothing_.

That's when he snapped.

With a yell of pure anguish, he turned around, cocking his fist back and punching his locker with every ounce of strength in his body. When his fist collided with the metal, purposely hitting the grates, the pain that pulsed through him was almost enough to make him forget about why he was angry.

So he kept doing it. He punched the locker until his knuckles started to bleed; raw, red and stinging. He punched the locker until his eyes were so blurry with tears that he couldn't see. Maybe if he broke it, he wouldn't ever have to play football again, and he could just return to Lima and become the loser he'd always expected to become. Things would be easier that way. So much easier. Collapsing against the bent locker, he slid to the floor, holding his bloody, swollen hand tenderly against his chest.

He dissolved into tears after that, clutching his hand and wishing that Rachel was there. She would know what to do. She would know how to make things better. Realizing that he no longer had anything left to lose, he reached into his bag with his good hand for his cell phone. Her number was the first on his speed dial and he prayed silently that she would pick up.

Right before it was about to go to voice mail, a clear, melodic voice reached his ears. "Hello?"

He could barely stop the shaking in his voice. "Rachel?" He didn't even care that it cracked with emotion, he could barely talk past the tears.

"Finn?"

"Rachel, I need your help." He sounded pathetic, he knew it, but all the pride he'd once had was gone. "Please, you have to help me."

"Finn, what happened?" She sounded worried and he hoped she would be able to understand how much he needed her right now.

"It's all over, Rach. They know about the agent. Everything I did to try and protect myself was for nothing." An embarrassing sob choked out of his throat and his thought process was distorted and random. "I fucked up my hand. It really hurts."

"Finn. Talk to me. Where are you? What did you do to your hand?"

"I'm in the locker room of the football field. Coach said I was suspended and they're finishing the game without me. I punched my locker a bunch of times. If I break my hand then none of this would be an issue anymore." There was silence for a moment and Rachel's voice was rushed.

"Finn, do not move from where you are. I'm coming to get you."

"Rachel, I'm so sorry . . ." He wanted to beg for her forgiveness; he would crawl on his knees if he had to, but she cut him off.

"Shh, Finn. We'll have plenty of time for that later. Meet me by the back doors, I'm pulling up to the football stadium now."

"I love you, Rachel." The tears had started up again when he realized that she was really coming. After all the hell he had put her through, she was still going to come for him.

"I'll be right there." With that, she hung up the phone, and Finn found the strength to pick himself off of the floor and head towards the exits. When he saw her little car pull up and her smiling face behind the wheel he almost fainted from relief. Opening the passenger door, the first thing he saw was his bouquet of roses from the night before, resting on the seat. The card was opened, yet still in the envelope. She smiled at him timidly while she placed the flowers on the backseat so he could sit.

"Where did you find those?" He asked, feeling broken and afraid to look her in the eyes. Her small laugh filled the car up with something beautiful, almost tangible. It was something that he hadn't felt in weeks.

"I found them in a old trash can we use backstage to collect our props after the show." She paused momentarily and he could feel her eyes on him. "I wish you could have given them to me in person, though."

He turned to her and almost forgot to breathe when he realized how close he was to her. They were inches apart in the tiny car and it felt like a lifetime since they'd been so close in proximity. "I was going to, but then I saw Jesse and I panicked. It's not like it makes any difference now I guess." He sighed deeply as his hand continued to throb. "Wait, don't you have a show right now? Why aren't you at the theater?"

She shrugged and started to focus on driving as they made their way out of the parking lot. "It's called an understudy, Finn. The show will go on without me."

"You left the show in the hands of an understudy because of me?" She continued to amaze him in every single way. "Why?"

"Because I was worried about you, Finn. I've never heard you sound like that before. It scared me." She spared an appraising look in his direction. "And your hand looks terrible. I'm gonna stop by a pharmacy to get you some bandages and antiseptic." There was so much he wanted to say to her in that moment. No matter what he had put her through, she still cared.

"Rachel, I . . ." She interrupted him as she turned into the nearest pharmacy.

"Not now, Finn. Let's just take things one step at a time."

She bought him an array of bandages and antiseptic spray and they returned to the apartment in strained silence. While he knew there were things he wanted to tell her, he had no idea where to start, and she was in no mood for conversation while his hand still looked like tenderized meat. When they entered the apartment she pulled him into the bathroom where she made him soak his hand in a sink full of peroxide for sterilization. It burned like hell, but he deserved the pain. When he removed his hand it was no longer bloody, but it was still raw and swollen, with shallow cuts sprinkled along his knuckles and fingers. Slowly and carefully, she wrapped his hand in an ace bandage while he just stared at her in awe. He had never loved her more than in that one moment. When she was finally finished and his hand resembled a mummy, she appraised her work fondly.

"There we go. It's not broken because you can still move your fingers, but it will probably be swollen for the next few days. You should put ice on it."

"Rachel. . ." She ignored him and continued to ramble.

"It's going to be hard for you to take notes in class. Did you have to use your right hand to teach that locker a lesson?" She was trying to joke, but he had never felt more serious in his life.

"Rachel, please, talk to me!" His hand was no longer throbbing, but the pain was still prevalent.

"What do you want me to say, Finn?" Shrugging her shoulders, all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and forget about everything that had happened between them over the past month. "I trusted you. I loved you. I sacrificed my home for you. It was all for nothing, because everyone knows anyway. What do you want me to say?"

"I was trying, Rachel. I approached the Dean about my grades and he said that he would look them over. It was the first step, and I was going to try and find a way to fix this. It doesn't even matter anymore. I'm suspended from the team now." He looked up at Rachel and her mouth was puckered into a small 'o' as her faces scrunched up in confusion. "What is it?"

"The Dean was at our rehearsal this morning. He pulled Jesse out of the theater and when he came back he looked really pissed off." A small smile broke out on her face. "He was caught, Finn! That's why he reported you. The Dean knew he was lowering your grades on purpose so Jesse retaliated."

"Well, what are we supposed to do now?"

"We fight, Finn. We're going to fight, and we're going to win." Determination was set into her eyes and her fiery energy was like the fuel he'd needed to find his motivation again. He pulled her into his arms for a crushing hug, and there were no signs of protest.

"Rachel, I am so sorry, for _everything_. I should have told you from the beginning about the agent, and I should have never tried to push you away. Please move back in. Please come home." She snuggled into his embrace but didn't answer him, and for a second he thought it wasn't enough. So he cleared his throat and did the one thing he thought he would never do in front of a girl.

Sing.

_A chair is still a chair, even when there's no one sitting there_

_But a chair is not a house, and a house is not a home_

_When there's no one there to hold you tight_

_And no one there that you could kiss goodnight_

Sitting on the rim of the tub in the bathroom, holding her close to him, he sung his heart out; hoping that the song that he'd listened to about 50 times on you-tube could convey all the pain he felt at her absence. Hoping that it would be enough to get her to come home. He became very passionate towards the end and he could feel her shaking in his arms.

_But I'm not meant to live alone_

_Turn this house into a home_

_When I climb the stairs and turn the key_

_Oh please be there, still in love with me_

The final note lingered in the bathroom as long as he could hold it, and the shaking had stilled again while he waited for her response. She lifted up her head and her eyes were watery, which he hoped was a good sign. Before his eyes, a small smile crept onto her face and she sniffled softly.

"Your voice needs a bit of work when it comes to vibrato, but I guess that's something we can work on together." Hope began to swell in his chest as he contemplated her words.

"Does that mean you'll come home?" _Please say yes. . ._

"Yes, Finn. I don't want to be alone anymore." A crushing relief washed over him and he never wanted to let her go.

"Me neither." He paused for a moment and asked her the question he was dying to know. "Do you still love me?"

Her answer was so quiet she could barely hear her. "Yes."

"I love you too, Rachel. So much." He started to place kisses on every part of her face he could reach; her hair, her forehead, her cheeks, her nose. Finally his lips landed on hers and the feeling that washed over him was so cathartic, it felt like she was healing his soul.

All of a sudden, she pulled away and his arms felt empty. "Where are you going?"

"Out to my car. I want to put those flowers in water and get settled in before we begin," she said while putting on her shoes.

"Begin what?"

"The plan! We have to figure out what you're going to say at the NCAA hearing! I have some research to do as well on the ethics of TA's and the NCAA regulations. We're not going down without a fight, Finn." Her ambitious smile lifted his heart out of the murky depths of his previous depression as she left to get her things from the car.

She was _back_. Rachel had come home. With her by his side, he could do anything.

Jesse St. James was going down.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Until next time *_sings*_. . . .Don't Stop . . . Reviewing!


	13. The Truth

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

**Chapter Thirteen: The Truth**

October had come and gone in a blur of anguish, and as Finn stood out in the brisk November chill, he was thankful that it was finally over. Every day had been spent living in fear of what was to come next and even though Rachel had moved back home, that didn't magically erase the tumultuous storm that was looming on the horizon.

He was still suspended from the football team, indefinitely until the NCAA could convene with the administration and figure out what to do with him. The days were spent on pins and needles, waiting to see if he'd received a letter, or a phone call; anything to let him know what his next step was in this dizzying process.

But the days passed without any word from the college or the team. OSU was now in a losing streak that could cost them the whole season, and Finn could do nothing but watch from the comfort of his own home as his team got bludgeoned on the field. He didn't dare attend the games himself; he had become the school pariah, the_ traitor_. Word got around campus about the agent and even though the student body was forbidden to report it in the paper or on the radio station, people made up their own versions of the story that held little to no real facts at all. News programs tried to come on campus to interview people but were quickly escorted away. Finn had kept quiet this whole time, and when people can't get their news from reliable sources, gossip begins to spread.

His good name had been forever thrown in the mud. His only chance for redemption was this hearing with the school. He had to find a way to clear his name and convince the university that he was innocent, and unaware of the consequences of his actions.

But until then, he was stuck in this awkward and unwelcome position. Once, he had considered himself to be the big man on campus. Now he was the most hated athlete in OSU football history.

He stood out on his balcony for a little while longer while the biting November wind whipped around his face, making him wince from the cold. He had only a few more minutes before he had to leave for class, and he needed to mentally prepare himself for what he knew he would face: the glares, the accusations, the threats. People took college football very seriously around here, and in their eyes Finn was some kind of scum now.

It was more than he could bear. He needed the administration to commence this hearing soon or else he was going to lose it. Turning around, he re-entered his apartment and closed the door behind him, rubbing his hands together to return the warmth into his extremities. He'd been outside longer than planned, but he'd needed the fresh air. He needed to think of something.

A plan. He needed to develop some kind of plan for this hearing, but he couldn't come up with anything concrete. It wasn't going to be a trial, like the ones on Law & Order; he couldn't have a lawyer and there were no witnesses or evidence. All he had to do was go up there and tell the truth, the whole truth. Even if it made him look like the biggest idiot to ever walk the face of the planet; he would rather be labeled a moron for the rest of his life than a traitor.

Rachel had already left for her daily classes, so he locked up the apartment before heading off to campus. He sighed deeply, reminiscing about her and the infinite ways she improved his life. He would be so lost without her, and it still amazed him that she had forgiven him for everything he had put her through. He practically lived in her room now, and was only in his room to do homework and practice his drums. He never left Rachel's side when they were both home together. Those few weeks away from her had been torture, and he'd promised himself that he would never take her presence in the apartment for granted again. She meant too much to him.

Maneuvering his way through the streets of Columbus, he didn't know how this year had snow-balled into such a disaster. In the beginning, the only problem he had was whether or not Rachel would see his boner if he wore only boxers around the apartment. Now he had to worry about being kicked out of school and ruining any chance he ever had at a career. He'd called his mother sometime last week and was horrified to hear that she'd heard her own interpretation of the story, and he'd spent half the night trying to convince her that her son was not trying to cheat his way out of his education.

It was a conversation he never wanted to have again, but he knew he would have to explain himself soon. Then he would finally be able to move on.

If that was at all possible.

He ducked his head down, as low as he could, while walking into the lecture hall for ATA. Heading straight for the back row, he was getting used to sequestering himself away from his other classmates and their looks of distaste. It really irked him when some of his more bolder peers had the audacity to turn around and stare at him like he was some freak in a side-show. He spent most of the class with his head resting on his desk, wishing he could just melt into the walls and disappear.

It was only today when he realized that Jesse was no longer present in the class. The seat where he normally stood behind Dean Schuester was empty, something he hadn't noticed in his previous depression. But now as he stared up at the professor who was handing back his own papers without the aide of his TA, it was apparent that Jesse wasn't here. This bit of information brought sunshine to his otherwise cloudy day. At least he wasn't the only one who had problems. He idly wondered what had happened to him as Dean Schuester's voice filled the wide space, beginning the class. He noticed a group of girls turn around and point at him while he glared openly at them. They turned around, but not without sporting matching frowns of disdain.

He sighed deeply as his head fell forward onto the table.

Today was going to be another long day.

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When he finally dragged himself home, Finn was anxious to see Rachel and decompress after another exhausting day on campus. He was tired of the looks of blame and betrayal that met him at every turn, and he needed some comfort. He wanted to find solace in the one person who truly believed him; who understood that he was more than the lies that had been spread about him. Part of him was sure that he would have gone insane without her and the unyielding support she gave him.

As he entered the door, he noticed Rachel standing in the living room, waiting for him with anxiety etched into her features. In her hands was a large manila envelope, and she held it out to him before he had even closed the door behind him.

"Someone delivered this for you today. I've been waiting for you to come home to open it. It's from the NCAA." He grabbed the envelope out of Rachel's hands and held it for a second before realizing that his hands were trembling. This was it; the information he'd been waiting for. He stopped his hands from shaking long enough to rip it open, and he read it's contents as quickly as possible.

_Dear Mr. Hudson,_

_Your situation has been discussed at length by both the NCAA and the administration at OSU, and we request your presence at a formal hearing this Monday morning at 9am in the Lecture Hall. Please bring your official statement and be prepared to answer questions pertaining to this incident. _

_Thank you for your co-operation,_

_Chairman Figgins, NCAA _

He read over the letter twice more, trying to read between the lines or find any double-meanings in the letter, but it was pretty straightforward. He passed it over to Rachel when he finished and she read it in silence while he processed his situation.

He had the rest of the weekend to prepare his case before the final judgment on Monday. Now that a date was looming overhead like the sharp blade of a guillotine, he felt the anxiety return in full force. What would happen if his statement wasn't enough to defend his innocence?

Rachel must have evolved a super-sensitive sixth sense around Finn because she was at his side in an instant, trying to put her never-ending optimism into good use. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, as he closed his eyes and let her presence wash away the overwhelming anxiety he felt.

"Rach, what are we gonna do?" He didn't bother trying to hide the fear in his voice. "What if they don't believe me?"

She shook her head into his broad chest and looked up at him, her expression deadly serious. "They have to, Finn. You did nothing wrong and on Monday you can finally tell your side of the story," her lips tightened into a thin line as she nodded her head, determined. "Come on, we have a ton of work to do, we have to get started." She pulled him into her bedroom, and he watched while she pulled out paper and pens. She handed them over to Finn while he just looked on, dumbstruck.

"Started on what?" She nudged him with the paper and he took it begrudgingly.

"With your statement, silly! And I have some phone calls to make." She pulled out her cell phone and started making calls while he stared down at the blank paper like it had the answers to all of his problems. He tried to life his pen to the paper, but paused when he realized he had no idea what to say.

Telling the truth was a lot harder than it looked.

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By Sunday night his brain was practically fried, and no matter how hard he tried the blank sheets of paper were still empty and white. He had spent all weekend on this one task and Rachel was starting to get frustrated. She had forced him into his own room to finish the statement by himself because he couldn't stay focused when she was around.

Rachel had been on the phone all weekend with people who would attend the hearing in support of Finn. So far she had been in contact with Puck, Kurt, the Monaco twins, and even Panda. While Panda was still pissed at his rude dismissal earlier last month, he knew deep down that Finn could never be capable of betraying the team, and he was driving down to Columbus the next day to be a part of his support group.

Unfortunately, the support group couldn't get him out of the hole he'd dug himself in. It was up to him, and him only, to give his statement and try to convince the administration that he was innocent. But with his blank page mocking him from the desk, he was starting to lose faith in himself.

He looked at the clock on his desk and began to panic when he realized he had less than twelve hours before he had to be at the hearing. It felt like the walls in his tiny room were beginning to close in on him from all sides as the blank paper continued to taunt him with its emptiness. Feeling like he needed to escape, he got up from his desk and exited his bedroom, heading straight for Rachel's room and the comfort he knew he would find there. Pausing at the door, he took a second to look around before entering and was surprised at what he saw. There were posters and paint spread all across the floor, and he had to tip-toe around it to avoid making a mess.

"Rachel, what is all of this stuff?" She looked up from her position on the bed and he could see that the poster in her lap had big blue letters that read "_Fight for Finnocence_" on it. He didn't know whether to be proud or embarrassed. He chose proud, especially because of the way Rachel was looking at him. She had done so much for him this past week; if she wanted to make _Finnocence_ t-shirts he would wear them as long as he had her support.

"I made signs for tomorrow Finn! I want not only you to know that you have support, but I want to show this whole campus that we're here for you no matter what!" The determined fire was lit in her eyes and Finn had never felt more grateful to have Rachel in his life. He watched as she placed the wet poster face-up on the floor for it to dry, and pat the empty space on her bed so he could sit down. They maneuvered themselves so they could lay comfortably on the bed and Finn placed a tender kiss on her lips, full of all the gratitude he felt for his girlfriend and her efforts. But she could sense the anxiety behind his kiss and gazed up at him with a worried look. "Talk to me, Finn. Have you finished your statement yet?"

"No, and that's the problem. I can't find the words to justify my own innocence. It feels like I'm making it up, like it's not sincere or real. It all just sounds like I'm covering my own ass and I know they're never going to believe me." He looked down at the girl in his arms and wondered how _she_ had even believed him after what he had put her through. "What's the point?"

One of her small hands came up to caress the side of his face as she pulled him down to her so she could lay a petal-soft kiss on his lips. "The point is that I know you did nothing wrong. People were trying to control you and make you into their own scapegoat, but you have to stand up for yourself, Finn!" She tried to stifle a huff of frustration, but she let loose and allowed herself to talk freely. "I just feel like up until now you've had it _too easy_. Things just went your way without you noticing it, which is how you ended up as a junior in college, on a scholarship, without even declaring a major! If you don't stand up for yourself now, and take control of what's going on around you, then you're just going to live the rest of your life waiting for things to happen to you instead of grabbing life by the balls and living it." His eyebrows nearly disappeared into his forehead from the shock of hearing her use language like that. "I love you, Finn. But I want to know that there's something in your life that's important enough for you to fight for. If you care about school, football and the future, then you will find the words that need to be said tomorrow. You have to. This is your last chance."

As he sat there in awe of his girlfriend and her enthusiasm for his cause, he realized exactly what he needed to say tomorrow at the hearing. The best part was that he didn't even have to write them down; he felt like the words were etched onto his heart and at that moment he knew that he would remember them the next morning. He captured her lips in another kiss, this time lingering for a moment to revel in her love.

"You are a genius." Her shining smile held a bit of confusion but he pulled her close to him and they were still and quiet for quite some time. After a few minutes he whispered into her hair, "Can I sleep in here tonight?" He had been banned from her bed all weekend long due to his writer's block but now he felt like he deserved some comfort before his big day. She smiled at him softly and nodded.

"Of course, but only sleeping! We have a big day tomorrow." She leaned over for a kiss while he took this opportunity to pour every ounce of passion he felt in his body into her willing lips as she started to moan softly against his mouth. His hands moved of their own volition and brushed against the skin under her nightgown, making his blood boil. She smiled at him coyly before shutting off the light as he pulled her onto the bed like a man possessed.

"Okay, maybe we don't have to go to sleep _right away_..."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A screeching alarm blared in the distance and Finn felt himself lifting out of the haze of slumber, yawning wildly while an errant thought nagged him somewhere in the back of his brain. He was so comfortable and warm, all he wanted to do was fall back asleep. But wait, wasn't there something he had to do today?

He shot out of bed, quicker than he ever thought was possible, flinging the sheets of the bed and practically falling on the floor. His foot landed on a poster that wasn't 100% dry as he felt paint oozing in-between his toes. He fell backwards onto the bed again, holding his foot up in the air so he didn't get anything messy. Rachel's sleepy form barely stirred as he took one look at the clock.

"Rachel!" He screamed, not caring if she was still asleep. "Rachel, wake up! Come on!" She mumbled incoherently to herself for a minute before shooting up in bed herself.

"Crap! Finn, what time is it?" She got out of bed, remembering about the posters and maneuvering herself around the bedroom, tossing him a towel so he could wipe the paint off his feet. He felt like his brain was moving so fast he couldn't even process what he was thinking about and there was little time to spare. "Finn, get in the shower. I'll take care of everything."

He almost tripped again on his way out of the room. "But what should I wear?" He was beginning to panic and Rachel shot him a fierce look that frightened him back to reality.

"Shower first, panic later! GO!" He nodded to himself, determined, and headed into the shower where he tried not to let the crippling anxiety deter him from getting ready. He showered as quickly as possible and exited the bathroom to see that people had started to gather in his living room. He poked his head out long enough to see that Panda had arrived, and when Rachel saw that he was out of the shower, she followed him into his bedroom.

"All right Finn, I went through your closet and picked out an outfit for you to wear. Your breakfast is waiting for you in the kitchen. The rest of the crew should be here in a few minutes. I'll be right back, I have to teach Panda the cheers I came up with." Before she could exit the room, he pulled her to him as tightly as possible, dampening her clothes with his wet body. She relaxed for a nanosecond and he kissed the top of her head, trying to convey all the gratitude he felt for her presence on this hectic day. She pulled away after another moment and he tried to speak, but she silenced him with a heavy look. "We will have plenty of time to talk later, Finn. Get ready! Oh, and Panda says you owe him for what happened last month. He said your payback is coming." She exited the room with a wink and part of him didn't want to know what he would have to do to make it up to Panda, but he had more important things to focus on now. He dressed himself in khaki slacks, a polo and a dark sports-coat. Thank goodness she didn't pick out anything with a tie. He hated ties.

When he exited his bedroom he was shocked to see that his living room was full of people. It wasn't just Puck and the Monaco twins, they had brought half of TKE and Sigma Delta Tau with them! He even recognized Rachel's friends from her music class. There were so many people they barely all fit in the apartment. When the crowd spotted him, they began to clap wildly, approaching him with high fives and handshakes.

"We're with you Finn!" The crowd started to get enthusiastic and he caught Rachel's eye from across the room. She pushed through the group and stood at his side, beaming up at him like he was a golden god.

"I wanted you to know that you're not alone, Finn. We're all here for you today, no matter what happens." The crowd agreed with her and he checked his watch once more.

It was time.

He looked up at the crowd of people in his apartment and smiled for the first time in days. "Come on guys. It's time to go."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There was a crowd. He should have been expecting it, but seeing it in person was a whole different story. He had to push his way through his peers in order to approach the Lecture Hall, and people kept trying to grab at him and get him to say something. People were sticking microphones in his face but he pushed forward, knowing that his fate would be decided on the other side of those doors.

Rachel and his other friends rallied around him, guiding him through the crowd and helping him avoid the melee that threatened to consume him whole. When they finally approached the Lecture Hall, his little group started to hold up their signs and create a barrier between the news reporters and the building. A security guard stopped Rachel from entering with Finn and he took a deep breath.

This was it.

He looked down at Rachel and waited for the anxiety to kick in, but it never came. This was his last chance to clear his name and return to his normal life, and if it wasn't for Rachel he would have given up ages ago. He couldn't feel anxious when he knew he had her never-ending support and love.

"I'll be right here, Finn. Good luck." With her brilliant million-watt smile, he placed a soft, yet chaste, kiss on her lips before straightening out his jacket and heading inside the Lecture Hall.

From here on, he was all alone.

It was strange to see the large building so empty on a school day, but not a single soul could be found in the Lecture Hall as he made his way inside the largest room. Waiting for him, was a table filled with important people. Sitting in the middle was Chairman Figgins from the NCAA, shuffling through papers and waiting to begin. On his left was the head coach of the football team, who shot Finn an appraising look as he approached the table. On the other side of the Chairman was the Provost of OSU, an intimidating man he had only seen on fliers around campus. The people who filled out the other seats were department heads, and he recognized his old Sociology professor Sue Sylvester while she unfolded her reading glasses and placed them on her face. He sat down directly in front of Chairman Figgins and noticed Dean Schuester sitting at the very end of the table, nodding at Finn with a grim look on his face. The security guard that had escorted him into the room left his side to close the doors. The sound echoed in the large space.

Chairman Figgins stopped playing with his paperwork and looked up at Finn before opening his mouth to speak. "Good Morning, Mr. Hudson."

"Good Morning, sir." He answered as politely as possible as a strange sort of calm settled into his body.

"Mr. Hudson, please tell us in your own words, exactly what transpired between you and this agent, this Bryan Ryan." He said the name with distaste and Finn took a deep breath before answering.

"Well, I remember I was at football practice one evening and the coach had informed me that there was someone who was there to visit me. I approached the man and he took me aside to talk." Chairman Figgins looked at the coach with an accusatory glare.

"Coach, you were unaware that this man was an agent?"

The coach rubbed the back of his neck with a hesitant look on his face. "I assumed he was an uncle or something. Most agents I've met don't drive around in a busted up Ford Focus. I had no idea." The Chairman glared at the coach with eyes narrowed into slits as he turned to face Finn again.

"What did he say to you?"

"He told me he could make me a football legend. That if I worked hard enough he could have me ready for the draft by next year. I thought it was too good to be true and it was. It was only after that first meeting when I realized it was against NCAA rules to talk to agents, but by then it was too late. He started to follow me around and come to my games. I just wanted to be left alone. By the time the agent gave up on me, someone else had already found out about it and was using it against me."

The Chairman leaned forward in his seat and fixed Finn with a judgmental look. "Mr. Hudson, you have played for the OSU Buckeyes for over two whole seasons. How is it that you were unaware of the rules regarding agents? This is what we don't understand."

He took a deep breath and looked away from the adults while he gathered the courage to admit his own failures. "Football, to me, had always seemed like a means to an end. When I was in high school I rode the waves of my popularity without thinking about the future. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to OSU, but it wasn't enough to break me out of that mindset. I was lazy. I was immature. I didn't pay attention. And it all came back and blew up in my face." He took another steady breath and continued. "I brought this upon myself. I know that now. I kept it a secret to preserve my own image as this star when I'm nothing but a coward. I let people control me, and even allowed my TA to blackmail me in order to keep this all a secret."

"Yes, we have been informed by Dean Schuester of the changes to your grades and that student has been expelled from this university." Jesse had been expelled? Rock on! "I think we've heard enough. Is there anything else you would like to say?"

"Yes, actually." Rachel's speech from the night before was still echoing in his mind and he drew strength from her love in order to continue. "If it means anything at all, I am truly sorry for any damage I caused to the team and to the school. Someone important once told me that you have to stand up and fight for something to believe in, and I want you to know that even though I messed up, I still want to fight for the Buckeyes, and for this school."

"Thank you, Mr. Hudson. We will convene and be back shortly." One by one, the teachers and administrators all stood up and left the room in order to discuss his testimony. He caught Dean Schuester's eye and the man gave him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. He didn't want to get his hopes up, though. Chairman Figgins was the one who had the strongest vote in his opinion.

He waited in the empty hall for what seemed like hours, even though it was probably only a few minutes. When his jury finally came back into the room, he realized that he wasn't breathing and took deep, steady breaths to calm his racing heart.

"Mr. Hudson, we have come to the conclusion that this agent fellow was working on his own and had targeted you for his personal gain. You are hereby reinstated on the football team and all charges against you have been dropped. You're free to go."

The chairman had spoken so fast he could barely process what was being said. "Wait, you mean, I can play football again?"

The Coach cleared his throat, "Son, we're sorry your name got dragged through the mud like this. We will release an official statement clearing you of all accusations and we can put this whole thing behind us." He nodded solemnly. "You're a good kid, and a great player. I should have known you weren't paying attention when I noticed all that drool dribbling down your chin during my lectures."

Finn shot out of his chair and approached the table, shaking everyone's hand like he had just won the lottery. When he approached Dean Schuester, he gave the man a hug. The Dean hadn't said anything during the hearing, but Finn knew that he'd had an advocate on his side in this panel of educators, and he would be forever grateful to his favorite professor. The Chairman grabbed Finn around the shoulders and walked out of the building to give his statement to the press. When Finn exited the Lecture Hall, the crowd had grown into a sea of students, press and cameras. He noticed Rachel standing on the side, fixing her hair and smiling brightly as a news reporter tried to interview her. When the press noticed that they had emerged from the hearing, all the attention was turned back to Finn.

Microphones of all shapes and sizes were being shoved in Finn's face, but it was Chairman Figgins who spoke. "We have come to the conclusion that the accusations against Mr. Hudson were unfounded and false. He has been a victim throughout this entire debacle, and he has been cleared of all charges. He is officially reinstated on the football team. All further interviews regarding today will have to go through my office. Thank you." He turned to Finn and shook his hand for the cameras while Finn made eye contact with Rachel in the crowd. She wiped away tears while she looked on with pride.

When Figgins stepped away from him, he immediately felt a million hands grabbing at him, all wanting their own interview with the reinstated quarterback. But he just pushed through them all and made his way over to his friends. His support group. His personal band of cheerleaders. They greeted him with yells and cheers and he looked at Rachel nervously when the Monaco twins ambushed him with hugs. Rachel only smiled to herself, looking amused.

Panda stepped forward, clapping a hand on his shoulder while he gave out high-fives to his other friends. "Good job, brother. I knew you could do it. You know what this means, though?"

He did not like the devious look on Panda's face. "Uh-oh, what is it?"

Panda clapped his hands around his mouth and screamed to the crowd. "Party at Finn's apartment!"

Ugh, payback was a bitch.

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The final chapter is next! I hope you enjoyed Finn's journey!

Until Next Time. . _.sings_. . .Don't Stop. . . Reviewing!


	14. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy! :)

A/N: Welcome to the final chapter of _Close Quarters_! This story was a blast to write, and I want to thank each and every person who stuck with me to the end! I already have a new story up which you should definitely check out, _Blood Bond_, and I hope you enjoy the new one as much as you enjoyed CQ!

**Epilogue**

He'd decided that it was the roar of the crowd that was getting to him the most; it seemed like the walls of the locker room started to shake with every scream and yell he heard coming from above as the clock ticked closer and closer to game-time. Tensions were high in the clammy, smelly, man cave, but there was an undeniable twinge of hope floating through the air.

Finn was _back_. They might just win this thing.

It was hard to focus on what the coach was saying as the rest of his teammates finished getting ready around him. A dizzying buzz of adrenaline was the only thing keeping him focused while he secured all of his pads in place and slipped on the uniform that he hadn't worn in what seemed like _ages_. It had been like a second-skin to him before everything that had happened; he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it.

It was futile to try and ignore the stares he was getting from his other teammates; the ones who were relying on him today to pick up where he'd left off in the beginning of the season. He had been allowed back on the team and now this was his chance to prove that nothing had changed. That no matter what had happened to him throughout the year, he was still the quarterback; the leader. Their season had been rocky, but they still had time to bounce back before the post-season started.

It was all up to him today. The morale of both the team and the school was riding on his performance out on the field today, and he refused to let anyone else down this semester. It was time to redeem himself in the eyes of not only his school, but to the NCAA and everyone who watched college football.

The aftermath of the hearing had created a large amount of publicity for not only the school, but for Finn as well. They had painted Finn as the helpless victim in a nefarious plot and now he had to prove that he was still the same all-American kid he was before this entire fiasco started. He'd been on so many interviews over the past week that it felt like the whole world knew about what had happened, and now was his opportunity to prove to them that the past was the past. If he could show them all that this debacle had absolutely no effect on his football skills, then he might still have a real chance at making football his career one day.

A strong hand clapped onto his shoulder, and he saw his teammate, frat brother and friend, Puck, nodding towards the exits. "Come on, bro. It's time to go."

With a heavy sigh and a reserved nod, he grabbed his helmet and joined his team on the lineup, ready to take on OSU's biggest rival.

Michigan.

Running out to he field for warm-ups, he was greeted warmly by a sea of red, surrounding him in the gigantic 100,000 seat stadium. For some reason, he'd never registered how huge the stadium was, and how the fans seemed to reach all the way into the sky. The fact that people weren't booing him from the start was a good thing, and his confidence grew when he saw fans with posters in support of him.

While the team spent some time warming up, a figure on the sidelines caught his attention, and he smiled when he saw his girlfriend wave emphatically at him from her position behind the team. He had gotten her a position as the refreshments coordinator for the Buckeyes, which pretty much meant she was a glorified water-boy. Well, water-_girl_. She didn't mind it all all though, and was ecstatic to have some part in Finn's world of football. Plus, she got to be on the field with him so he didn't have to imagine her sitting somewhere far away in the endless crowd.

He jogged to the sidelines to greet Rachel quickly before the game started and he had to go into full-on football mode. Whipping off his helmet, he ran up to her and grabbed the cool glass of Gatorade that she offered him, downing it in a large gulp. He thanked her with a lingering kiss that tasted like cherry.

"How are you feeling today, Finn? Nice and warmed up? Is your arm loose?" She chewed her lip, worried, while he tried to reassure her with a smile.

"Rachel, I'm feeling great, you know that. I'm just glad you're here," he grabbed her hands in his and rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles, softly. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Her beaming smile gave him the confidence he needed at the moment and he took one more glass of Gatorade from her before they were about to announce the coin toss. With one more kiss, she broke away from him and was about to walk away before she reached for his hand one last time, squeezing.

"I'm not very good at sports jargon, so I guess I'll just have to say, 'Break a leg'." He grinned at her before putting his helmet back on.

"I love you." Her glowing smile was the last thing he saw before the helmet was secured back on and his mind started to focus solely on football.

A rush of adrenaline hit him as the stadium erupted in cheers, waiting for the teams to gather to begin the coin toss. While he knew it was bad luck to act cocky before a game, he couldn't help but feel invincible. Rachel was here, he had the support of the team and the school, and he had something to prove.

Michigan didn't stand a chance.

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It didn't take long for the ambitious Buckeyes to get a good lead early on over Michigan, but the rest of the game hadn't been so easy. The opposing defense was airtight and they'd exploited the slight weaknesses in the offense in order to keep Finn from making complete passes. It was a good thing that their defense was just as strong, or else Michigan would have been dominating them at every turn.

The entire post-season was on the line and by the end of the fourth quarter; Michigan had a three point lead over OSU and there was a little over a minute left on the clock. With only a few more plays left in the game, Finn knew this was his final chance.

The game had stretched into the early evening and as the sun set around the roaring stadium, the huge spot-lights were turned on, giving the field a brilliant artificial glow. Finn felt the stress of the moment build up around him until thought it might cripple him. He looked over at the coach and he saw the man give him the signal for he next play. Standing directly behind the coach was Rachel, her little head poking through the huge players to get a clear view of him and the team. The hopeful and determined look on her face gave him all the confidence he needed at that pivotal moment. This wasn't just about him now; as much as he wanted to prove to everyone he was the same; he wanted to prove to Rachel that all her sacrifices hadn't been in vain. This was as much for her as it was for anyone else. He turned his attention back the field and got into position.

The play was called and the ball was snapped into his willing hands. Backing up a few paces, time seemed to slow to a halt as he tried to find an open man to throw to. It seemed like Michigan's defense formed a human wall against his other men and no one could break through it long enough to head down the field. He spotted a huge linebacker coming right towards him and if he didn't get rid of this ball right now, the play would be wasted while precious seconds ticked away. Right before the opposing team slammed him to oblivion, he spotted in his periphery the one player who was able to break through the defense and make his way towards the end-zone.

Puck.

Trying his best to aim, he pulled back his arm and threw the ball with all the strength he had in his body. He watched as the ball soared into the air and headed straight towards Puck right before the intimidating linebacker plowed right into him. Not letting the weight deter him for even a second, he bounced right back up to watch the path of the ball as it soared across the sky, trying desperately to catch the breath that had been knocked from his lungs.

When the ball landed in Pucks arms, he couldn't stop the exalted cheer that escaped his lips as his teammate crossed he threshold of the end-zone, scoring for the Buckeyes and clinching the lead. The field goal secured their lead as the final seconds ticked away to zero.

"Yes!" He roared, as the crowd erupted in cheers and applause that could have rocked the stadium to the ground. He spotted Rachel on the sidelines, jumping up and down like a maniac, screaming and clapping with joy. He took the time to point to her from the field, trying to convey all the love and gratitude he had for his girlfriend. He wanted everyone to know that she was his; his girlfriend, his roommate, his strength. She'd always been his personal cheerleader and number one fan.

This moment wasn't just for him, it was for her too.

He couldn't have done it without her.

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"So where are we going again?"

A sly smile was his only response as the small car weaved it's way around the streets of Columbus. After driving for what seemed like forever, he realized that they were heading to the more suburban areas outside of town. When they approached the facade of a modern apartment complex, Finn's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Rachel, what is going on?"

"Will you be quiet and let me surprise you!" She laughed while putting the car in park. When she turned to face him, the smile on her face was wide and mischievous. "We're here!"

He looked around and couldn't figure out what the surprise was. "Where are we?"

Instead of indulging her secret, she looked at him suspiciously while he fidgeted under her stare. "Why didn't you tell me that you only signed a six month lease?" _Whoa, how did she find out about that?_ He'd been the sole name on the apartment's lease since the very beginning. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I had every intention of renewing the lease for next semester, I didn't think it would be a big deal. How did you find out about that?"

"The landlord came by the other day to talk to you about renewing the lease at the end of the month. I told him we would get back to him."

"Rachel, what's going on?"

"When we were broken up for those few weeks in October, I had started looking around for a new apartment by myself." He couldn't help the sting of shame that prickled through him when he remembered what he'd put her through. "This was one of the placed I'd looked at and while I couldn't afford it by myself, I think it would be perfect for two people to share. Come on, I want to show you." She got out of the car and he had to stop himself from staring at her, and how the chilly December wind whipped her hair around in a beautiful frenzy around her face. He followed her blindly, grasping her by he hand as she led him through the building. An excited look crossed her face as she opened the door to reveal her surprise.

The apartment was amazing: spacious, well-lit and the style was progressively modern. This had to be a brand new building; he had never seen an apartment that looked this nice by the campus. There was only one bedroom, but it was larger than both Finn and Rachel's rooms from their apartment combined. There was even a walk-in closet. Glass paneled double doors led from the bedroom to the wide and inviting living room, and the kitchen was almost twice the size of the one they had now.

"Rachel, this apartment is awesome! How much is it a month?" She beamed at him while he poked his head in the bathroom and noticed the huge bathtub with powered jets built into the walls. Those had to cost extra. . .

"Well, even though it's only a one bedroom, it's about a hundred dollars more a month than what we're paying now." She smiled at him hesitantly. "But that's only because this building is brand new and it's in a more suburban neighborhood. Even though its a lot farther from campus than we're used to, I'm willing to leave a few minutes early if it meant being able to live here. I think we should let the lease run out and move in here at the end of the month."

He joined her back in the living room, watching the hope bubble in her eyes as she waited for his answer. Grabbing her hands in his, how could he say no? This was his chance to take their relationship to the next level, something he'd been wanting to do since the very beginning. No more hopping between bedrooms and being modest, she wanted to move in with him for real and share his space for good.

"Are you sure you want to be living win me in such close quarters, baby? You won't be able to banish me to my own bedroom anymore. You'll never get rid of me."

Her short giggle was punctuated with a kiss. "I think I can manage." She started to pull him by the lapel of his sweater towards the bathroom and he had to ask her what she she was doing. Her lips turned up into her trademark billion-watt smile as she pulled him into the bathroom and shut the door behind them. "What do you think, Finn? We're breaking in our new shower!" The clothes started to fly off and Finn smiled blissfully in the spacious bathroom.

He had a feeling he was really going to like it here.

**The End**

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Until Next Time. . ._sings_. . . Don't Stop Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois


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